Warning: Just being honest

This is the first time in my life I have ever done anything remotely like this before.  Yes, I am talking about adoption...but I am also talking about fundraising.  There is just something about asking people for money that doesn't sit well with me.  But I am coming to learn that is pride in disguise.  A dear friend of mine's husband recently told her that he didn't see why he should contribute to our adoption.  He said that if we couldn't afford it, we shouldn't be doing it.  Funny thing is I seem to be agreeing with him lately on alot of issues.

So I began to ponder on this some today to see if I could glean any truth from his viewpoint.  Was he right?  Adoption is very expensive.  VERY.  So why would anyone enter into something that they couldn't afford?  Upon thinking about this, my mind wandered to other areas of our lives where we generally tend to "borrow" money instead of paying for something in full when we buy it.  The first thing that came to mind was a car.  Some of us borrow money to buy a car because we don't have the entire amount all at once.  We can't technically "afford" the car, if by "afford" we mean, being able to pay for it upfront.  So, is it ok to finance a car we can't afford, but not ok to ask people to help you raise money to adopt a child?  Surely not.

Another thing that came to mind is medical bills in general, but especially having a baby.  I know for us, we couldn't "afford" to pay over $20,000 to deliver Trinity last year.  I mean, we didn't have that much money to pay the hospital up front for all of their charges, or my OBGYN for that matter.  We have insurance, and then we were able to make payments on the balance that the insurance didn't cover.  Now, it never occurred to me not to have Trinity when I got pregnant, because we couldn't "afford" to pay upfront to have her.  I guess for some, that might be a consideration.  So let's look at what God says about it, because my opinion isn't worth listening to!

Ironically, I didn't have to go far, because our Bible verse for this week in our homeschool is Psalm 127:3-5:

"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward. 

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate."

Have you ever wondered why these people in this verse are having to speak with their enemies in the gate?  Why should the fact that people have a house full of children cause them to have to defend themselves to their enemies?  Hmmm...I digress...

So back to the point at hand.  I guess the reason we are fundraising, is the same reason that people get insurance.  They know they can't pay for large medical bills all at once, but they can pay them a little at a time, so they get insurance to cover the difference.  Except the difference is, that God is OUR "insurance" and he is providing for us through our friends and family to help us "make up the difference". 

I may not be carrying Fisher in my womb the way I did my biological children, but I AM carrying him in my heart in a very similar way.  The Lord has placed him there, just like he placed my biological children in my womb.  He is a gift, just the same way they are.  So, no, we cannot afford to pay over $34,000 up front for this adoption anymore than we could pay for the hospital bill for Trinity's birth last year all up front.  (In fact, I think I just paid the last payment a few months ago.  And we are still making payments from her hospitalization when she was 3 months old.)  If one of our children was in the hospital and we needed help paying for that, would it be ok then to ask for help?   One of our children IS in a foster home, 1/2 way across the world and we are asking for help from our family and friends to get him home!  I am praying this week that The Lord will soften the hearts of those who are hardened toward adoption.  I pray that they will seek God's face and see what He has to say in His Word about children and specifically about orphans.  

And by the way, I am so thankful for my friend who was so honest with me about what her husband said.  It allowed me to seek the Lord's face and His Word on the subject and to be encouraged by Him.  I encourage more people to question what we are doing and allow us to openly discuss it with them.  I always want to keep a check to make sure my motives are pure.  So thank you, again for your honesty and love.

^"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!  I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.  But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.  For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.  For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for."  2 Corinthians 13"5-9