Do. (A post about Adoption & Conviction)

It's only been in the past couple of years that adoption has become something I care deeply about. A lot of that has to do with my entry into the blogging world. It's nearly impossible not to get emotionally invested in adoption stories whether they are strangers or friends. I've read the journeys of adopters that I know personally and adopters that I've never met. I've read stories about domestic and international adoptions, baby and older child adoptions, special needs adoptions, and foster care that lead to adoption. All of which have their own unique challenges. All of which are important.

I've written about adoption before (see here & here) so I won't get into why I care so much about it or why I think others ought to care, but I will share a conviction that I've developed.

I am not adopted. I am not even in a position to adopt right now. But I still care deeply about adoption and want to encourage and support those in the process. And who knows, maybe God is preparing my heart for adoption to be apart of our story someday. For now, I've realized that my resources are limited. Yes, I can lend my voice to adoption and adoption stories...but practically my ability to support adoption is somewhat limited.

But I won't use this as an excuse. I've been convicted to get out of debt. I was thinking recently of how much more we'd be able to do to help others (not just with adoption) if we freed up the income that goes towards debt payments. How much more could we save to make big things possible in the future? How much more could we give away right now?

Also, I've realized that the amount doesn't matter. Yes, adoption funds reach their goal because of generous people and those $100, $1000, and $10000 donations are amazing. If you're able to give those amounts, please do. But I've found myself giving $10, maybe $25, here and there to strangers and friends alike because I know that any amount matters. If every individual a person was connected to via facebook, twitter, or their blog gave just that small amount they could potentially reach their goal on small donations alone.

So I'll keep following adoption stories. I'll keep praying for those families. I'll give what I can, when I can, and not ignore the prompting in my heart to do so. And I'll take my finances and actions seriously...because I don't want to care about people passively.

To quote our pastor Chad, "Do what you can, with what you have, for the person right in front of you." :)