Don't let the cost stop you

On a pretty consistent basis I get emails from people asking questions about funding an international adoptions. The one piece of advice I have for them is to NOT LET THE MONEY BE THE THING THAT STOPS YOU.

In my life time I have learned that when God calls us- He will provide. Our job is not to have it all figured out. Our job is to simply say ‘Yes Lord’ through our obedience, hard work, sacrifice and faith.

Only, that isn’t always so simple… because often our unbelief gets in the way, or sometimes it’s our pride, or our fear. Or perhaps, for some, we expect it to come easy since God has called us to it. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

With Aleigha and then Mya’s adoption from Guatemala we worked HARD. We sacrificed, went without, fund raised and prayed. Through these experiences God taught us what truly mattered. He taught us humility. He taught us how we could live on way less than we thought. While raising the funds was one of the most difficult things I have ever done- I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I believe God allowed us that experience so that we would become deeply invested. I believe He wanted to know just how much we were willing to give up, go without and sacrifice for something that that mattered to Him. God used the fundraising as an opportunity to grow, stretch and mold us. It wasn’t easy- but necessary. And because we said yes- God not only blessed us with the funds, he blessed us with friends who came along side of us and through their example showed us how to truly serve. If we had had the money in the bank all along- we would have missed out on these blessings.

Another thing that is important to remember is that Gods provision is daily- not all at once. Many of us want to see the $$ in the bank before we will say yes to God. But sometimes I think God wants to use our experiences to grow our faith in Him. If ‘we’ could do it on our own- we wouldn’t need Him. Then we would get all the credit and not God. He provides daily because he doesn’t want for us to store it all up and then cut off communication with Him. There is so much more He has for us than just supplying the funds.

With Havyn’s adoption God did allow the funds to drop into our laps- AFTER we had taken the first step in obedience. Only He didn’t stop there. Through this experience we would learn in a greater capacity the importance of accountability for what God has given us. God taught us that when he blesses us- it’s so we can bless others. With God it is never about only one person. This wasn’t about our family being given the money to pay for our adoption- it was about the importance of coming along side others- and offering what we can to further His kingdom. Hence, why the Pass It Forward Adoption fund was started.

I have also learned that many times people miss out on all that God has for them- simply because they never take that first step of obedience. If we don’t have the faith to move forward-then we are not even giving God the opportunity to provide.

As we are once again walking this same type of faith journey while raising funds to go into full time missions work in Guatemala- we cling to all that God has taught us through our adoptions. That He is the source. Daily, he always has and always will provide for our needs. Each day I get up and spend time with Him. He knows our every need and I trust that through His people He will provide for the things He has called us to do.

Nothing in this world worth anything comes without a cost. So dive in- and let the journey begin. Trust me, it will change you and challenge you. Because adoption isn’t JUST about a child finding a family- it’s about our journey to become more like Jesus by allowing Him full reign of our lives.

If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Matthew 10:39

I couldn't close this post without mentioning the beautiful children waiting in the foster system. While I know there are different challenges in adopting out of the foster system- these adoptions are very affordable. If God has called you to adopt- please do not forget about these precious treasures.