Be Available

I suspect that many years from now I will reflect upon my life and remember many great things that I have done.  Not because I'm awesome, but rather I was simply available.  I was available for the Lord to use me.

The Lord is not impressed with our strengths.  Why should He be impressed?  He made us; He GAVE us the strengths that we have.  Paradoxically in our weakness, He can demonstrate His power by working through us in such a way that it is evident to all who see it.  When He strengthens us in that moment, all will see that it was not a power within ourselves that allowed us to accomplish such things.

He isn't interested in what we think we can do for Him with these attributes.  He just wants us to be available and willing to follow His leading.  In any situation, He can give us the tools, the resources, and the power to accomplish His plan, but the one thing He can not do is make us to be willing.  One might think this is heresy and calls His omnipotence into question, but really God has given us freedom to choose.  Do we follow our plans or do we surrender to the Lord?

God knows every facet of our being; He knows everything about us.  He loves us deeply and intimately.  He wants what is best for us and wants to prosper us, which I submit is not just physically or financially, but spiritually.

Life is filled with many choices and options, which can be very daunting to say the least.  How will I know what to do or which choices to make?  I say to surrender it all to the Lord and let Him lead you down the path that He has planned for you.  Ultimately, He is the only One with an infinite mind that knows all the choices that you face and their future ramifications.  If He loves you infinitely and wants your best, then He will surely guide you.

This doesn't mean the road will be easy or free from difficulty or danger, but God hasn't called us to safe lives. He has called us to be His hands and feet to the world around us.  He will equip us to the tasks set before us.

I challenge all who read this:  just be available.  Bring your strengths, and weaknesses, and simply be available for whatever the Lord calls you.  It may not be what you ever envisioned, but there will always be blessings beyond measure wherever the Lord takes you.  Twenty-five years ago, I would have never seen myself where I am now.  Most of the things in my life now were not on my radar then, but I would have missed so many blessings if I had not yielded myself to Him.

I pray you take that simple step of faith and ask Him, "Lord, what is Your plan for me today?"

A couple of months ago, I was talking with a woman about adoption.  This isn't unusual as I talk to a lot of people about this subject, because it is a passion of mine.  I have an adopted son along with two biological children, and my wife and I have just started the process to adopt again.

This woman stated that she wanted to adopt, but her husband had some concerns. These concerns essentially halted them from further consideration of adopting.  She cited his concerns to me, and they included: can I love this child like a biological child, can we afford the expense involved with the entire process, can we afford college for this child, etc.

Of course these concerns are valid, as all parents should be deliberate in planning for the necessities of all their children.  As I was listening to her, however, the Lord spoke very clearly to my heart that these concerns, which sometimes seem like objections or excuses, are petty.

As I thought about what God was saying, it became more clear that we tend to ignore the needs of these children for reasons that have to do with our personal comfort or for issues that have far less importance.

I would like to address, "Can I love this child like a biological one?" as I feel this question has some merit.  As one would expect, this question comes from those that have never adopted. Having never adopted, they simply can't know what to expect firsthand. I respond to that question with another question, "Did you fall in love with your spouse?" They are not of your flesh and blood, yet you would likely say that you love this person entirely.

In my own experience, I loved my biological children when they were born, but it wasn't until they started to smile at me that I first felt that deep stirring within my heart.  Don't misunderstand; I would have sacrificed everything for them from the first moment, but the bonds of love grew within me over time.  The very same thing occurred with my adopted son.  From the moment I received the first photograph, I loved him.  With time, I have fallen in love with who my son is and who the Lord is shaping him to be.

I believe that all the other objections are issues of misguided importance.  I have heard many various reasons, but at their core, they deal with the aspects of money/provision.  Again, I don't think it is faulty to contemplate this, but I think it is faulty to let these perceived problems stop you from adopting.

In my mind, I try to step back from the situation and to imagine posing a choice to a child in an orphanage.  Would you rather live out the rest of your childhood in an orphanage with the certainty of having no one to call family when you leave the orphanage, or would you rather have parents and possibly siblings to care for you as a child and be your family for the rest of your life, even if they couldn't provide you a college education?  This scenario may seem ridiculous as an example, but reduced to its most basic elements, these are the only choices.  You could exchange the example of a college education for anything else.  We have made the decision already when we dismiss adoption.  The disheartening part is these concerns are based on issues that are not true necessities in the first place.  

Because of the culture we live in, we mistake the non-essentials for essentials.  College is not essential for life; food, clothing, shelter, a FAMILY....these are essential.  I don't think a child would mind going to a state-funded college and working or using modest loans to fund education in exchange for a dramatically different life.  Many of these children are released to the streets at the age of 16 if unadopted.  Can you imagine releasing your own son or daughter to the streets of America at age 16?  Once these children leave their orphanages, they still have no family, no mother, no father, to call their own for the rest of their lives.

Again, you can substitute anything else for the word "education" in this example; "wedding", "car", "music lessons", "big, expensive house", etc.  At its core, these things are not a substitute for what truly matters.

I also believe that God is not as concerned with the temporary as He is with the eternal.  As Christians, we should bring these children into our lives so that we can train them in the way of the Lord.  Ephesians 6:4 

"And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." [NKJV]  This makes an eternal difference.  Many children in other countries will never hear the Gospel message.  If we can teach them to love our Creator with all of their hearts, souls, minds, and spirits, then we have made a difference for eternity, but also for the Kingdom here on Earth as these children will go to serve the Lord in further spreading the Gospel.  I know the Lord spoke very clearly to me that He is less concerned with my comfort than with the eternity of that child that He is calling us to adopt now.

In matters of providing for our children, we must not forget who we serve, the Lord of the universe. If He is calling us to adopt, we must remember that He can provide for the needs of this child. How? I don't know how He will do it specifically for you, but I have seen Him work in unexpectedly miraculous ways in my life and in my family.

If anyone should understand the importance of adoption, it is the church.  We have all been adopted by the Lord to be His sons and daughters through Jesus and His redemptive work.  We are not begotten children, but He has chosen to make as co-heirs with Jesus. Ironically, the husband mentioned at the beginning of this post is a church leader.

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.  [NASB]

Romans 8:14-17
14  For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ...
[NIV]

I encourage all to prayerfully consider adopting.  Don't let petty, meaningless excuses prevent your from making a difference in a child's life.  Keep focused on what is truly important.  Your child will never regret your decision to give them a family.  In my own experience, I have found that I am the blessed one for the privilege of fathering my adopted son.