Adoption is costly...

Lesson #2

Adoption is costly, and the price has to be paid by the father.

This is a fact that I know doesn’t escape many. The number one reason people don’t pursue adoptions after looking into the possibility is the cost. The financial cost IS high and may even seem unreasonable. Homestudys, immigration paperwork, travel costs, costs in country, lost time at work, country fees, more immigration paperwork, post-placement reports…they all add up. When calculating the cost for our first adoption, we discovered that the cost would be equal to a full year’s salary for me! If we didn’t sense God’s call for us to proceed the mountain looked too high.

There are also other costs. Every part of your life is laid bare for others to see and judge. Do you make enough money? Do you have enough smoke detectors? Do you discipline the way ‘they’ think is correct? How well behaved is your dog? Are you on any meds? How do you settle disputes? Is your job guaranteed? Will your health insurance be enough? What is your motivation to adopt? All of these questions are meant to answer one: “Will you be a good father?” And then there is the waiting. The financial costs are paid up front with no guarantees of a successful adoption placement. There is significant risk financially and emotionally. Adoption committees don’t tell you if you ‘missed’ one of their benchmarks. You find out through silence. Every month that passes feels like a rejection of you. Often there are other issues at work, but that is the way it feels. How bad a parent must I be to not be better for a child than staying in an orphanage?

So why would anyone pay the price? Two reasons: Elisona & David Reni! God’s love compelled us and has rewarded us! Our love for these two blessings is overwhelming. It overwhelms all obstacles! After one especially hard day during Ellie’s adoption, Cydil looked at me and said, “Never again. And NEVER in Albania!” But those days pale in comparison to the 3.5 years we have spent with Els watching her grow! When we felt God’s tug again, there was no hesitation – even for Albania. In another post, I want to recount God’s provision that has made both adoptions possible.

So how does this relate to our adoption into Gods family? His adoption of us was and is costly! Philippians 2 tells us that Christ left all of his riches and status to be humbled and ultimately crucified in His obedience of God and pursuit of us. He paid the full price up front with no guarantee of our acceptance. You would think that would be enough to convince the whole world of his love, but we still make God jump through hoops. “Where is God when it hurts?” “Why doesn’t He just fix the world?” “Would a loving God really send someone to Hell?” “He couldn’t love me. Look what I have done.” “I’m good enough without God.” “What about the hypocrites in the church?” And God looks down on each and every person with those questions and His adoptive father’s heart aches. “Don’t you trust that I could be a good father? Do you really want to continue to live outside of the family I created you for?”

Why does God do it? Why did he pay the price and still leave the door open to our rejection of Him? Two reasons: You & Me! His love for us compels Him! He longs for you to call Him Abba Father! There is no obstacle to big to stop his pursuit. He believes you are worth it! Isn’t that amazing!

Abba Father, thank You for paying the price for me to be adopted into Your family! As an orphan, it was impossible for me to pay the required price but even before I said ‘yes’ to You, You had already paid for my adoption! Thank You! - Amen

At the risk of all of you skipping the text and jumping right to the video, I decided to post a couple of 'old' videos of Reni and Ellie from a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy!