This is a great question, and I submit to you today that as the body of Christ, we should all consider our part in the answer. There are 1.37 million abortions per year in the United States. That is 3,700 babies killed per day in our country - legally! What if it were not legal? I know that there would still be abortions. Plenty of doctors would continue to perform them, and plenty of women would continue to exercise their "right" to choose. However, I believe that with the risk of legal action, quite a large number of these babies would be saved, and many would be put up for adoption.
Are we ready for that?
Sadly, I have to say that I do not believe we are. Our culture in America is me centered. It is selfish and vain and proud. In general, I have seen little evidence that the Americanized church is that much different than the culture. The vast majority of people who call themselves Christians check off a box, sit in a pew, write a check, and go home and live their American dream. We know very little of sacrifice.
As someone who is passionate about adoption, and who is now very blessed and truly humbled to be the mom of an adopted baby, I will admit that I still know very little of sacrifice. Our baby has not felt like a sacrifice to us. He has never screamed through the night, he had no withdrawal symptoms from the drugs his birth mother took while she was pregnant, he is content and happy and our other children think he is a real live baby doll; sent directly from Heaven just for them to play with. We have all had a blast just "playing baby dolls" with him for the past 8 months.
What I will say is that the enemy does not find the whole thing amusing at all. It has become abundantly clear to me over the past year that satan takes adoption very seriously. He is on the prowl and it feels like families are his current main target. Not just adopting families. Marriages are under attack. Children are walking away from the faith of their fathers.
The book of Mark says that because of our relationship with Jesus we will have trouble in the world. “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."
I know that within our very flesh is the sin nature that would cause us to stumble even if satan were not around, but the fact is that right now, he is around, and he is seeking whom he may devour. Our family has been under massive spiritual attack since we decided to begin the adoption process. Our children seem to bicker constantly, our older ones are really struggling internally with themselves and their futures, I recently had a health scare. Some days I just don't think there is enough of me to go around and I know that I am woefully inadequate for the job of raising five children. Here's the thing, though, even with these struggles that exhaust me to the very bone, they are nothing, nothing compared to the life my baby would have lived if we had not done this. The enemy can not throw one thing at us that would make me sorry we adopted Patrick.
I have two friends in the process of adoption right now and both are struggling with obvious spiritual attacks. Loss of jobs, robberies, and other really hard things that are hitting their families. One thing after the other, so much that it makes you want to wave the white flag of surrender. The really cool thing though is that satan's attacks are not all that subtle when you are covered in prayer. Both of these friends immediately spotted the attacks for what they were, before they gave up. They are still moving forward with their adoptions and I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that at least two children in this world will grow up in loving homes centered on Jesus Christ because of the faithfulness and courage of these families. The enemy will not win the battle for the souls of the children God has planned for these families, and he will not win the souls of the ones God has planned for us!
There is only one way to fight the enemy. We have to acknowledge that our battle is not against flesh and blood. It is not my husband that I am fighting against, my children are not really fighting each other. When we all take a minute to remind ourselves of that, then it becomes a challenge to strap on our armor, take up our sword, and fight to win! Sometimes we do it out loud, and we literally make the motions of buckling our belt, putting on our shoes, and strapping on our breastplates. The boys especially love this!
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:11-17
What is God asking you to do today to help the most helpless of His children? Is He asking you to sacrifice something for their sakes? My previous post contained a letter written about Russian orphanages and the atrocious conditions in which the children there suffer. The overwhelming thing is that there are atrocities committed against innocent children in every single country and city on the face of the planet. In every city there are countless numbers of babies, like my son, facing a lifetime of foster care or living on the streets with drug addicted parents. There are horrible conditions in orphanages all over the world, where children are abused and treated like so much garbage. Children growing up, never knowing a gentle touch or the smooth glide of a rocking chair. Never being held against a mother's chest as she hums a lullaby. Children denied the most basic rights of any human.
The need is so overwhelming that sometimes it is tempting to just do nothing. Tempting to say that God will call someone else to do something about it. Tempting to live in the bubble that we have created, where we feel safe and secure.
I can assure you that the bubble is just an illusion. There is no safety or security in the world we live in. The only thing we can count on is that in the end, our God wins! When He returns, I want Him to find me about His business. I want to hear Him say, "well done." No matter what physical comforts I must sacrifice, I want to do His will for my life.
As we pray for His will and what that looks like in our lives, I will not tell you that it doesn't scare me to death! No one has ever said that His will was easy or carefree. In fact, throughout history I think it has been just the opposite. Only in our selfish culture have we created a god that gives us only peace and prosperity. A god that, like some cosmic Santa Clause, just hands out presents to those of us who behave. We have, as usual, made it all about us, when it is not about us at all - it is only about Him. My prayer is that whatever He leads us to do, we will do without question. Whether it is adopting more children, helping others to adopt, or something even more drastic than either of those things. I don't know, and I refuse to put Him in a box. His plans are greater than anything I could dream up.
Will you let Him guide you in helping the least of these?
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