I have been asked these questions many times and at this moment a zillion thoughts are whirling in my head and I feel like I’m about to burst. It’s time to share some thoughts. Let’s see if I can put those thoughts onto “paper”. Here we go:
First off, God’s heart is for the orphan. Period. His heart and deep love for them does not waiver. Not one speck. He loves the orphan more than anyone of us could ever imagine. His love for them is so apparent that He refers to them over and over throughout scripture. And He loves them so much that He longs for them to be in a family.
God’s love for the orphan is so crazy that His heart’s desire is that His children {that would be you and me} would open our hearts and homes and make these treasures no longer orphans, but part of a family – forever!
Interestingly enough, the enemy of our souls hates the orphan. He despises them. He has a disdain for them. He wants them to remain orphans. He wants them to not have any hope – ever. He wants them to be alone forever. He wants them to perish without a family ever loving them.
The enemy of our souls actually wants to keep you and I so “busy” that we just don’t have time to bring some little ones {or big ones} home. He wants us to have fear and focus on all those “what ifs” that would keep us from adopting. He wants us to get so wrapped up in stuff so much that there just isn’t any extra to even think of the orphan, let alone consider bringing one home.
Because you see, if we adopt, we totally blow the plan the enemy has for each of these children. Instead of them wallowing in destruction and hopelessness, they are adopted and given a new life! They are set free from the chains of being an orphan. They hear about the Jesus who died for them. They ask Jesus into their hearts! They are a new creation and then their lives perpetuate life. They meet Jesus, serve Him, grow in Christ, marry a Christ-follower and often adopt themselves. {I have met so many young adults who were adopted who totally plan to adopt as well!}
Hence, the battle rages. The battle for the orphan to remain without a family. The battle for us to stay comfortable. The battle for us to stay put and not get outside our comfort zone. The battle for us to think that this world really is just about me. The battle to decide whether we will move our bee-hinds and get busy on behalf of the orphan.
But what about when we decide that we are going to “go for it” and adopt…. whoooa. Then the battle really heats up.
We have been in full-time ministry for just about 20 years now. We have seen spiritual warfare. We have seen much of it. But we have not seen spiritual warfare like we have seen in families who are proclaiming truth about the orphan and adopting many, many kids. I am convinced that the enemy just might pretty much leave a family alone if they are adopting one. Maybe even two. But get going and get committed to making a difference with lots of adoptions and the enemy of our souls gets mighty ticked off. He decides that he is going to try to squash the life out of that notion and squash it quick!! And I know, many of you, know what I’m talking about…
Why is he so threatened by those pursuing being a large adoptive family? Because, first, my family, your family is making a difference in the lives of each of the children we/you are bringing home and that is frightening to him! It totally blows the plan he had for those orphans lives. Second, the living testimony of a large adoptive family is influencing others to consider the orphan as well. And that leaves the enemy very, very, very peed off.
So what are we to do?
Shrink?
Cower?
Turn our backs?
Look the other way?
Pretend we didn’t notice the orphan?
Stay self-absorbed?
Look like we’re really busy and have no time?
Heck no!!
Get on your battle armor and fight like mad!
Adopt!
Serve the orphan!
Help others adopt!
Rescue those in foster care!
Forget yourself!
Forget the stupid things that would tie you down in life…
And ask God to break your heart with the things that break His!!
You and I will never be the same again. Not ever. But who would want to be the same? Cause these treasures of mine and your treasures….they show us what life is really about. What we are here for. What we are supposed to be doing each day…
Which leads me to another aspect of this whole battle…but I will save that for tomorrow….please check back tomorrow {yes, I know it is Labor Day week-end}, because I desperately need your help with something….and I will be in prayer as I prepare to share with you this need……
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES LORD!!!!!!!!
Linny,
Thank you sooo much for this post. We are just beginning the process of adopting a precious 9 yr old from Uganda and it is our first adoption, but every step we've made seems to make the enemy mad, but it also makes God so happy and we have already seen HIS grace ABUNDANTLY.
Amen Linny!
I love your passion for the orphan. I am linking this post to my blog because you put into words what I somehow can't.
It IS a fight for these little ones! We must fight! We must pray – that is our best weapon! Praying for all those that are DOING what is PURE and UNDEFILED before God!!!!
XOXO
Any suggestions on how to get rid of expensive (aka. dumb) purchases that could help us pay for our adoption now? Before we were believers, we bought some expensive items…now we're wishing we had that money for our adoptions!!
This is a timely post as we've had some sudden medical concerns crop up as soon as we went for medical exams 🙁 I had three weeks of heavy bleeding that's left me anemic and now my husband just got a call that his lab results show low white blood cells (could be just a vitamin deficiency or leukemia or ???). We thought we were healthy!! Now he needs to make an appointment with a hematologist…. Hopefully these will just be blips in the process because we have already been matched with a six year old special needs boy in China. Praying these new medical issues don't prevent us from bringing him home!!
Karyn
We are just in the process of adopting a child in the US from a disruption…and every turn we take is a road block..satan has been working overtime in our home to discourage us…give us fear…children fighting about things they've never fought about…lawyers that have no idea what to do in this case…and my list could go on. This post is something I sure appreciated reading. Thank you!
Linny, those of us in the Reece's Rainbow community (internationally adopting kids with Down syndrome and other special needs) have seen some horrific spiritual warfare. One of our members said that the enemy does not easily surrender long-held territory. I think that is so true! He has turned so many hearts and families away from the orphan, particularly the special needs orphans, and now Christians are realizing how wrong that is, how valuable ALL children are and how desperately these children needs Christian homes. We have attracted the attention of the enemy and he is hoppin' mad! Thankfully, we have a great high priest who intercedes for us and who has already won the battle! Make no mistake, though, it is still a battle and we get wounded but what an opportunity to proclaim the value of Christ through loving His children!
Amen! You definately found the words to express why the battle rages.
I shared you blog link. Hoping this will shed some light to the questions people have been asking me lately.
I love this post, and let me tell you we had serious battles for adoption #1and#2. My husband was laid off 2 times in 12 months while we were in process for both children. The last lay off resulted in a move across state. Both children had lots more special needs and unknown expenses. We are so thankful that we acted with God's prompting for if we would have waited on week longer if may not have worked. We were so thankful for the 401k to live off of and bring our children home. God expects us to use up all of resources to change the lives of others so we can live on faith.
Holly 🙂
http://www.arnoldfamilynews.blogspot.com
I've never understood why they make it so hard either! There are so many wonderful children needing to be adopted but they want to make the process so hard and so expensive!
Thank you for this post Linny, it somehow feels better knowing that someone gets it. My husband and I grew a heart for adoption two years ago and applied. We had some obstacles that were out of our control, everything was going so slow. Too slow! Now we applied again two weeks ago and unfortunately the timing isn't right as my husband's medical school loans and our mortgage cause us to show that we don't have positive net worth. 🙁 We understand how things look on paper but it is frustrating when our hearts are SO for having our adoptive babies home with us asap! In a year my husband will be a doctor and then we can hopefully move forward… it's just frustrating how things can prevent the orphan from having a home, especially when there are people waiting, excited and ready to bring one home! God Bless you and everyone else who has adopted and is trying to adopt. We will be praying and are waiting to hear what specifically to pray for. And thanks again for this post, as it just feels good to have someone say "why does it have to be so hard." That somes up how I feel.
I think that you are so right, Linny. Close to the same issue is how long adoption takes. It took us two years to get to China. Everyone kept telling me that it was God's timing while my baby waited without her family. I know that they were well meaning. And I know that God protected and nurtured her while we all waited. But it is never God's plan to have children waiting as orphans. Evil keeps children away from their families, not our loving Heavenly Father.
Praying for you and your family with every rememberence of you.
Barbara
Thanks for posting this. I have been so intimidated at the process, and even thought, just this week, that maybe we should wait another year or two. Thanks for speaking to me and my husband! It's like God is trying to get a message to us through you!
Oh my gosh. You don't know what this post means to me. Today I was praying outloud about this very fact issue and about what God would have us do next. I was talking to God about my fears and frustrations. My husband and I also just had a conversation about this not 2 hours ago. I read this post to my husband and just cried. We had just been asking these questions. Thank you for writing this. God used you to encourage us to press on and not be afraid.
ok, eeeeeeeek! i just saw the copyright at the bottom of your page (sorry!) and removed it from my blog. If you grant permission, i would love to post it. So sorry— it's hard for me to figure out all this blog world stuff. AND i get REALLY fired up about the care of orphans.
TABITHA
(
What wonderful encouragement.
I've been so sad as over here (NSW Australia) the government has just passed a law that homosexuals can adopt – it saddens me to think of all the little ones who are going to be so messed up for life because of this stupid law.
Praise the Lord that He is bigger than any silly old government & can care for the orphans in ANY situation.
God bless
Renata:)
Linny, what a great post! What you have written is SO true. When we adopted our son from Russia, it felt like we were snatching him from the hands of the enemy. I could so relate to what you said about our "comfort zone." I was so far out of my comfort zone during our 3 trips to Russia.
Looking back 2 years later, I don't know how we did it. All the paperwork and travel and financial issues and obstacles. I only know that we didn't do it. The Lord did. To Him all the glory.
He strengthened me by giving me the most wonderful sign. Our adoption was blind referral, meaning we went to Russia not knowing any information at all about the baby. We were to be told about him when we arrived. When we were given the paper with the baby's photo and information on it, even though it was in Russian, I realized that the baby was born on May 30, which is our wedding anniversary, and he was transferred from the hospital to the orphanage on Aug. 28, which is my husband's birthday. At that moment, I knew that God wanted him to be our son. Our Eli (short for Elijah) is so amazing and special. His personality meshes with mine in an incredible way. We are a perfect fit as mother and son, and only Almighty God could do that.
I had so much fear during the process, but I'm so glad that I didn't let the fear control me, and I obeyed the Lord's call.
For anyone who is considering adoption or who is in process, please trust in the Lord and know that He will carry you through it, just as He did for us.
http://little-llama.blogspot.com
Thank you Linny! We had a "small" set back on our adoption today – and I was feeling down! God has picked me up and held me in His faithful, strong arms – after getting my emotions right with God today – I will begin fixing our adoption issues tomorrow. Thank you for your encouragement!!!
Thank you so much for posting this!!!!!!!! We are feeling very attacked right now and have been for the past year…. We started the adoption process almost a year ago, and since then there has been a whirlwind match with a beautiful baby boy (it happened days after our homestudy was approved) and a few weeks later followed by a very emotional disruption, a few months later had a horrible flood in our home that effected all three floors, and part of our electricity had to be cut off for months until all the repairs were fix… the day the final repairs were dont my husband was fired, 2 weeks later i got very ill and was hospitalize 3 times in a month and was never really diagnosed with anything… lol (just being attacked) we bled through all of our adoption saving just trying to survive the last few months, and now we have about 7 weeks for my hubby to get a job or we wont be able to "renew" our homestudy before it lapses… (which is only a few hundered dollars) and if we cant it will lapse and we will have to start all over again once he gets a new job 🙁 (which will be more like 3,000$ the crazy thing is the last few years of our marriage has been pretty "easy" (in all aspects other than our infertility and pregnancy loss struggles) money, housing, relationships all pretty smooth…. until we decided to adopt and partically the same day everything started going crazy lol the enemy is relentless!!!!!!!! lol very annoying!!!!!! BUT… we know that OUR LORD AND SAVIOR is more powerful than all of it! and HE has definitely shown himself in big ways to us over the last year, and we are so grateful for that 🙂 we resently had an unsaved friend suggested that our decision to adopt has "cursed" us… and maybe we should just STOP! UMMMM NOOOO WAYYYY!!!!!!!! i explain that it was satan and not a "curse" and there was NO way i was letting him win!
anyway…i didnt mean to write so much lol just wanted to say thank you for validating that this is REAL and encouraging us to keep going because we are definitely getting weary!
Hugs & Blessings
Liz
AMEN thanks for spreading the wonderful news of adoption. We are in the midst of a spiritual warfare in our family. But there is nothing stopping us!
Very very true!!!
We've adopted 11 times in 10 years and whoa! the things we've learned about spiritual warfare! 🙂
Kim
So true. I have never experienced such intense spiritual warfare until I adopted. After 5 years now fighting to bring my daughter's sister home, I see how intense the battle can become. We finally decided we need to move over there ( to Siberia) for several months, since our govt can't find a way to bring Anya here. And you know what? THe obstacles that have been thrown in our path since making this decision are nothing short of terrifying. Someone obviously does NOT want us going over there! But God is with us, every step of the way. I trust in His love!
We havn't even applied yet, we are still only at the point where the seed is growing in our hearts and things have popped up.
But I did totally need to hear this message and can't wait till tomorrow. God has been speaking and working and pruning my heart about adoption this last week especially. I am learning more about myself, but in the process I am being more real with myself. I realized I have fears. I have bonding fears, money fears, income fears, and more fears on top of fears. I started to doubt even if we should do this.
I mean, HOW MUCH EASIER would it be if we were to leave this alone? We could go on with our merry little lives and be miserably out of God's will.
We were two people who never thought we were that "type". We have a daughter and were completely content until God got ahold of our hearts about 9 months ago. Now there is no question at all if we will. Only when.
Amen! And the battle rages on even AFTER they are home..trust me! Praising God for bloggy friends who get it!:) Keep preachin' sister!
Amen – preach it Linny! Even during our two adoptions we could feel the spirtual warfare. But God!
God is bigger and stronger and more than anything, anybody, any country, etc.!! God is.
Hugs,
Janet and gang
true and awesome post….I am just sad I started so late in life…and single… I have four (two homegrown two adopted internationally)…and just feel my hands are full.
But my heart still yearns for each one to have a family
Linny
Yes, yes, yes. You go girl! I can't wait to have my husband read this!
Love, Lisa K.
Whidbey Island,WA
How about a triathalon to this side of the country???
LOve it Linny!!
We felt the spiritual warfare in our adoptions, too.
Because of it I pray everyday for protection from the opposition. You have showed me how to stand up and fight, to pray for what is right and good and to trust in God!
Our children are such blessing- I wish more would take the plunge and experience God's blessings first hand. It drives me crazy when I hear " I love your family but we can't adopt"- "WHAT"- of course you can!
Praying for you dear friend! Sister in Christ and sister in adoption!
Thanks for sharing this!! SO very true!!
We have 3 children whom we adopted, the last our great nephew out of the state system!
God had blessed!
We adopted brothers from ET in 2007. The week we were to go to our pre-adoptive class my oldest son was told it was suspected that he had cancer. It was devastating but soon I figured out it was Satan's ploy to derail us so we went ahead with the class. No cancer…just an extremely rare viurs. Hmmmm….
The second time we decided to adopt a 14 year old girl from ET. I had the home study application on my desk, ready to fill out on Saturday when I had time. On Friday, our house burned down. We were derailed for 2 months, but then both felt we were able to continue with her adoption. It was the most insane, busy time of our lives (I know you can relate to this, Linny!)
Once again, Satan tried to stop us by causing my husband to be paralyzed from the chest down! (caused by a virus passing into his brain and spinal cord and completely demylenating his spinal cord).
God must have spoken to him because my husband said we would only be delayed 2 weeks, after the doctors told him he'd be in the hospital for weeks and rehab for months and months.
We prayed, God answered and he walked out of the hospital after 11 days!
We didn't waste one more day (not ONE) in getting our daughter. The fire was in April '09, husband sick in July '09, new daughter came home in Feb. '10!
God wins!
Blessings,
Laura
Amen! Yes, change ME, Lord, and never let me be the same again!
Jean, I wish I had prayed early on in our current adoption endeavor about "protection against the opposition" like you have. Now, I fear it is too late for us.
Tammy
Your words spoke to my heart as we pray for the resourcese to go forth with a second adoption. Thank you!
oh, truth, linny!! it is a battle. a hard, worthy battle. i know it is only going to increase as we fight on. thank you for the encouragement.
Awesome post, right on!!!!! 'Greater is He that is in us than He that is in this world' comes to mind.