Warner Brother’s new horror movie Orphan proclaims that it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own. As the dad of two adopted children, that is simply not true. Pam and I do not have any biological children to compare with the two we adopted, but I cannot imagine loving my biological child any more than I love Abram and Callie.
There are certainly challenges associated with taking an orphaned child into your home. Most of the children who have been orphaned have been traumatized, abandoned, neglected or abused. Parents need a lot of prayer, counsel and support before, during and after the adoption. Ask any family who has adopted, and many will tell you it is difficult, but they will also tell you the rewards for rescuing a child are eternal.
I have two friends who are close to finalizing their adoption of a little girl from the state foster system. They have battled through sleepless nights, wrestled with doubt, and heard horrible stories about the little girl’s past, but I have also seen God give them strength for the journey. Most importantly, a little girl’s life will be forever changed for the good because a young couple had the courage to adopt.
Right now, many families in our city are praying about adopting orphans from our state’s foster system through Wait No More. In the past months, over 200 children have found permanent homes because of the efforts of churches and ministries across our state. By faith, I believe Colorado will have a waiting list of parents wanting children and not a waiting list of children wanting families. There are over 3000 churches in Colorado and less than 600 orphans. It is realistic to believe our state could be the first in the union without any foster children.
I do not plan to see the movie, Orphan, but I do plan to champion the idea of adoption for the rest of my life. It’s pure. It’s undefiled. It’s religion that pleases God.