That verse means so much to Tim and I. As some of you may know, I'm twice adopted. Once by my Heavenly Father in the spring of 1993; God chose me to be His daughter and saved me from a lifetime of bondage to sin and an eternity in hell. And again in April of 1994 by my earthy father David; he chose me as his one and only daughter and has loved me as if I was his flesh a blood every day since then. Both of my Dads are incredible, and I'm beyond grateful for each of them. My Heavenly Father has commanded me (and you!) to take James 1:27 and make it happen. Back up 5 verses and the Bible says to be ye doers of the Word, and not merely hearers. Don't just read it, do it!
I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Lawson! Where are you going with this?" Well, hear me out for just a second. There are 143 million (did you get that? ONE HUNDRED FORTY-THREE MILLION) orphans in the world. That's more than 17 times the population of NYC! I just googled it and did the math. Get up from your computer, walk to your children's bedroom, and watch them sleep. They have soft cotton pajamas caressing their skin, bellies full of warm milk, and hair that gives off that soothing smell of Johnson and Johnson. If you're like me, you've been in to check on them three times already tonight, kissing them and whispering sweet nothings in their ears before tip-toeing out of the room, leaving the door ajar so you'll hear them if they wake up scared. You're a great mom, and your children are blessed to have you. But think of all those tiny babies, young children, and budding teenagers. They're sleeping in over-crowded orphanages, if they've been fortunate enough to be taken in. Many of them call a dirt alley home and find inadequate nourishment by digging through trash bins, never knowing the comfort of a fresh, warm meal. The majority of them don't even own a pair of shoes or a blanket to snuggle with, but most of all not a single one of them has a Mommy like you to hold them. Their cries go unanswered and their cheeks know all too well the familiar trail that tears blaze across that unkissed face.
I'm really struggling to write this tonight. My heart is physically hurting to even think of one precious life in need of a family. I can't think about it for long, it makes me want to be sick. I've just read Mary Beth Chapman's book "Choosing to SEE". It's a wonderful book, you should read it as soon as you get a chance. But beware, you'll call the closest adoption agency and ask for paperwork to be overnighted to you before you finish the book.
Tim and I accepted the call on our lives to adopt 18 months ago and started walking through the process. However, we realized that yes, God is calling us to adopt, it's just not yet. I was pregnant. Today, Emmanuel is 7 months old and we have prayed much about this and feel like it's not yet time to adopt. Soon, just not yet. Many of our friends have also accepted the call to adopt. Our friends Mike and Michelle just sent off their dossier to Ethiopia in hopes of being matched with a little "chocolate chip" as she calls him. A deacon and his wife from church are becoming licensed as foster parents with the goal of adopting a child out of the foster care system. Another couple from church, Mike and Brandi, just traveled to Russia for the first of three trips to meet their new daughter Elyse. I'm so proud of all these couples. They're not just reading God's word, they are doing God's word!
But adoption isn't for everyone. Just because you cannot adopt, that doesn't mean you are not doing God's will. The verse talks about caring for orphans and widows. Tim's Aunt Evelyn (perhaps one of the sweetest and Godliest women alive) hosts a lunch every Valentine's Day for the widows in her church. She prepares a beautiful feast for them and asks them all to talk about their Valentines, who are now walking the streets of gold. She's doing God's word! Many people I know sponsor children through Compassion International, which offers impoverished children across the world a fighting chance at life through food, education, and medicine. They're doing God's word! What about you? What are you doing to follow God's call to care for the uncared-for? Can you support foster parents in your neighborhood by taking a meal every once in a while? Maybe you're an empty nester and long for the sounds of pitter-pattering steps on your hard wood floors. Can you offer an evening of free babysitting for the couple whose family recently grew through adoption? Maybe you've been richly blessed with finances. Adoption is expensive (to put it lightly) and you could help connect an orphan with a forever family by sending someone a check.
Here's what you can do right now. You can stop reading this crazy blog, and pray. Ask God what He wants you to do. Talk with your family and develop a vision to make a difference. Even if you only help one child, that means because of you there will only be 142,999,999 orphans left and God will be immensely glorified in your obedience.
Are you ready? Here we go!
