We know a lot of people who are adopting right now. I am amazed at what God is doing in the people at our church. He has drawn so many people to this process of adoption, and despite all the hardships that come with international adoption they are all following His calling for their family. But even with this 'adoption culture' people are still amazed that we are adopting. Or maybe they are amazed that we want to adopt four kids!
We have heard so many different things about God's calling for us to adopt four kids. Below are just a few of my favorite. I hope some of them at least make you smile! :)
1. Four? Like, you want to have a total of four kids, or you want to adopt four more kids?
Really, this is the standard response I have heard. I guess I understand part of the question/response. I mean, it is true that we already have three kids, and if we adopt a child we will have four. And honestly, this is what I was thinking when I started thinking about adoption again. Four is an even number, so that is good, right?
I have learned over the past few years that our plans are not always the best. I have heard it said (many times) that if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans. Our plans always sound good to us, but God is so much greater than our plans. And to that point, His plans for me are so much greater than anything I could think up, which my entire life can attest to! So, here is the reality: I planned to adopt one child, but God called our family to pursue four more children.
2. You're adopting?! Wow, you're such nice people.
I really do not know how to respond to this one. I mean, Thanks, I guess. The reality is, we are not nice people. We are depraved human beings, just like the rest of the world. Scripture is pretty clear that all men are sinners. The Truax family is not exempt from that. We are not any better than anyone else. There is a difference though: we are being obedient to God's call in our lives. So, I guess the response to people with this reaction is: We're not nice, we're obedient.
*Something that I would like to note here is that we are not adopting out of 'Christian obligation'. We do not think that this is something that we have to do as Christians. However, we do know that scripture is pretty clear that the Follower is to take care of widows and orphans. This can look different for every person. Not all families are called to adopt, but all are called to help take care of orphans. Maybe you are one of those families. You can help take care of orphans by helping those that are called to adopt. You can support them through prayer and encouragement. Believe me, these go a long way!
3. What are you going for, a baseball team?
Umm, yes. That was exactly our intent when we answered God's call! I am sure that is what He had in mind to. Maybe we can talk to the MLB and see if we can set up the Truax franchise baseball team. We'll start marketing memorabilia next week!
Really, I think what is happening here is that people are poking fun at us. Oh well!
4. You're adopting?! That is great. I wish I could adopt. We are just not ready yet.
Honestly, you are never ready to adopt. If you put off adoption until you are ready, it will never happen. Adoption takes a lot of faith. When you adopt you bring into your life a life. You introduce a child into your established family...no one is ready for that.
That does not mean that you should not prepare for adoption. I can not tell you how many people we have talked to and sought council from. We have read more blogs than I'd like to admit, and we have books coming out of the wazoo. We have been saving money and researching fundraising ideas. We have talked with our parents, who are also researching and fundraising with us (our parents are such a blessing to us!).
No one is ready, but if God is calling you to adopt you really should start the process. And remember, because of that wonderful thing called the Hague Convention, international adoption takes years!
5. Four? You're crazy!
I guess it is a good thing that my blog is titled Faithfully Crazy. I mean, I was crazy once...
I think I have said it a time or two, but we know that God is calling us to adopt four kids. We had to learn when we were getting out of the Air Force that some people just do not understand this. Over two years ago now we felt God calling us to get out of the military. He was calling us to give up the security of a paycheck, medical care, retirement, a house, and so many other things, and to trade all of it for an uncertain job market and no house. It was hard to follow that call. We prayed about it for a long time, and time and time again He would faithfully reaffirm His call for us. Here it is, two years later, and I cannot count the blessing that God has given us because we obeyed Him.
I know what people are saying. I get it! When people say something like this to us, what they mean (I think) is that it is going to be incredibly hard to bring home four kids and integrate them into our family. If you are one of those people who said this (or maybe just thought it), I want to thank you. I know that you are concerned for us, and for the kids that we are going to be bringing home. I also know that God has given us an amazing support system here and back in the states. He would not call us to this journey if He did not know that we could do it.
Or, maybe they actually think that we are crazy...
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