Saturday, January 8, 2011

Just Numbers to Some

As many of you know, our eyes were opened to the millions of orphans needing homes because of a little girl named Julia. A good friend of mine, also mommy to a cockayne child, sent me a simple message one morning "there is a little girl with cockayne on a website for adoption."
And so it began.
My eyes were opened to staggering statistics, heartbreaking circumstances, desperate stories, and in the midst hope.
Hope as God was showing me His love
For Orphans.
Families by the hundreds welcoming children into their homes.
But my heart was breaking for what breaks His.
To be burdened is hard stuff.
It is looking at your life, what is important, what REALLY matters in a whole different way.
What really matters?
It's not the American dream.
It's saying "yes" to God. Not turning your eyes away to the reality that IS orphans.
Children should not be just numbers or statistics.
But millions are.
We have said "Yes" to adoption. Why wouldn't we?
But my heart has felt both joy and sadness over the reactions we have had.
Some family and friends are incredibly supportive. Some are semi-negative. I am actually okay with these because it gives us an opportunity to answer questions.  But the ones which have hurt the most?
 Those who won't even ACKNOWLEDGE our adoption.
I have to wonder, if we were having a child biologically would they be acting different?
This child we are praying for, raising money to adopt, loving already will be our child no matter how she comes into our family.
This from the book "Radical" by David Platt...."The idea of billions in poverty or twenty-six thousand children dying from starvation and preventable disease before we lay our heads on our pillows tonight seems hard to imagine. Millions of orphans in Europe, Latin America and United States. As overwhelming as these numbers were, they were still just numbers before we traveled to get our son.We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. It is easier to pretend they are not real before you hold then in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.
"We can let these numbers remain cold, distant and almost imaginary. Or we can open our eyes and our lives to the realities that surround us and begin considering the faces that are represented by these numbers."
Little One is real. As are the 147 million orphans needing homes around the world.
Little One is not just a number to us.
God willing, she will someday know herself as "daughter, sister, granddaughter,beloved child of God "
God alone has placed this child on our heart and we won't turn away.
We are seeing even more fully God's heart in heartbreaking situations.
Living with eyes wide open is a good place to be.
Have your eyes been opened? What will you choose to do?


7 comments:

Einstein's Brain said...

I hope Sveta comes home soon. I really want to adopt soon and so badly. I'm not sure when the right time would be. I'm single and all that.

Anonymous said...

I found in our experience that the people who didn't acknowledge it I never mentioned it to again. I prayed for them in the beginning and just kept my mouth shut. They eventually came around. Glad the paperwork made it. Can't wait to see that girlie HOME! I swear, I'll mail the box of stuff I have for her soon. Maybe this week;) can you email me your address please? dziagwax6@gmail.com I'd also like to buy her some "tacky for africa" headbands, are you familiar with them? Thanks!!!

The Peterson's said...

We just shared our news publicly this week...I've been so heartbroken over the responses. My FIL is so upset that he wouldn't even come in the house. How is it that others think that we haven't considered our children, the financial and emotional aspects of this??? And I just want to ask them "what is the cost of a human life? Is it not worth me not living the "traditional american dream?" But I would rather follow the Fathers heart no matter how uncomfortable it makes the people I love most.

Mommy Grits said...

You guys are so wonderful! Christine, you have a beautiful heart and I always smile when I read your posts and comments! Tammy, welcome here anytime, Alabama is not so bad and Sveta would love to meet you I bet! Amy, glad to meet you and look forward to following your journey!

travcat said...

We live in Atlanta and everything has been closed for days!

I hope you can bring Sveta home soon and maybe another one! Don't let anything stop you!

Catherine
http://wronginalltherightways-travcat.blogspot.com/

Mommy Grits said...

YES! The South is not equipped for this. We had 8 inches in our front yard. Things closed down everywhere, it's insane. Our "happy dance" is quickly turning into a "umm..OVER this white stuff" dance. Thankfully my husband is self employed and has been home playing outside with the kids!! It's a good break but I have home study/dossier stuff to do!!!

Ginger said...

When we were in adoption process 4 yrs ago, my husband's siblings were completely silent. They didn't ask any questions, didn't even bring it up. I think that hurts much more than the people who just come out and say you're nuts. At least then, you can talk about it.
Now they love our kids, but they still think we're nuts for having so many. :D