November is National Adoption Month
by Ryan Bomberger – The Christian Post
No child should languish in foster care. No mother should feel that the violence of abortion is even an option. Our pregnancy centers, in all of the incredible frontline work they do to protect mothers, fathers and their children, aren’t enough to create a culture that values Life and encourages adoption. Our churches must do a better job leading in the defense of Life, at its most vulnerable, in what the Book of James declares as pure religion: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
[button open_new_tab=”true” color=”accent-color” hover_text_color_override=”#fff” image=”default-arrow” size=”large” url=”https://johnxxiii.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bulletin111322w.pdf” text=”DOWNLOAD THE BULLETIN” color_override=””]Although the United States is not engaged in a militaristic war within our borders, we have a cultural and spiritual war that has caused more casualties than all of our military wars—combined. There have been over 60 million killed since abortion was “legalized” in this country. Roe v. Wade never empowered women. It empowers men to have sex and run. This has led to a massive culture of abandonment where women are effectively left behind as widows, and children in the womb are orphaned by both the absent father and the mother who has chosen to give into the distress caused by pro-abortion propaganda. The pollution of this world is the warped belief system that others, not the Author of Life, can determine your worth. We allow our minds and hearts to be polluted by the lie that we aren’t created with purpose and that we can’t be stronger than our circumstances. I don’t know about you, but I serve the God of the Impossible. I’ve living proof of the impossible becoming possible. My birthmom was raped yet bravely rejected the violence of abortion, choosing Life and adoption, instead. Philippians 4:13 proclaims: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
The same Christ who was humanly “unplanned”. In fact, I was recently struck as I read Matthew 1:1-16 about the birth of Christ. I have read this many times throughout my life, but something profound happened to me this time. It’s not Mary’s genealogy that is detailed in the opening chapter. It is the genealogy of the man who would become Jesus’ adoptive father—Joseph. Christ’s lineage was drawn from a man who was not genetically tied to him, at all. The paradigm of adoption was revealed in a courageous teen mother with a humanly unplanned pregnancy (certainly Divinely planned), a father who chose to love rather than to leave, and a Savior who would sacrifice himself in order to offer redemption, adoption and transformation to those who confess and believe.
Adoption is courageous and messy and joyful and mysterious and loving. We need to uplift all of those in this beautiful triad—the birthmom/birthdad, adoptee and adoptive family. No one’s pretending it’s easy. Parenting biological children isn’t easy, unless I missed the memo that genetically-related children present no problems in life.
Adoption doesn’t just change the child. It changes the family, the community, and sometimes…the world. Look at the late CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs. He was adopted and loved, too. And he, inarguably, changed the world.
This November, and every month, may we rethink false narratives on adoption. May we look at this act for what it is…transformative love. I’m a firm believer that’s there’s always a ‘plan’ in the ‘unplanned’. What we don’t see from a human perspective, God knows from a Divine perspective. We’re meant to be, regardless of the circumstances of our conception, regardless of our real or perceived abilities or disabilities, regardless of what others think we contribute to this world. We have equal and irrevocable worth simply because we exist. And adoption is a powerful and culture-changing way to unleash that God-given Purpose.
For more information: Whether you are pregnant or hope to adopt, please visit Florida Adoption Support for Life at www.adoption.com or call 1-800-236-7898
