Search
Close this search box.

out of excuses

My heart is broken. 

Do you want to know where Hailee will be sent if she cannot come home soon?

Really?

Ever wondered why ministries fight with everything they’ve got to find homes for children with Down Syndrome and other special needs before they turn 4?

My friend Sarah posted this video on her blog.  I knew it would be hard to watch.  But this is reality.  This is real life.  This is, very unfortunately, what happens to so many orphans.  This is where my sweet little girl is destined to live for the rest of her life should we not be able to get to her.

I know–it is so terribly hard to watch. How the Father must weep over what He sees.

This is Serbia.  But, sadly, the rest of the world is exactly the same. I know the country Hailee is in certainly is. Children and adults with special needs are considered the lowest of the low.  They are outcasts in society–and are treated as such.  They have no value.  They are literally locked away and forgotten about.  The only life they know is one where they are strapped to a crib all day long.

No life at all if you ask me.

Since watching this horrible video, and having my heart broken once again for the plight of orphans, something has really been stirring inside of me.  Every time we adopt a child, or are out in public with our children, I would seriously be rich if I got a penny for each time we have heard, “We are just not called to do that.”  Or, “Our house is too small.”  Or, “My husband needs another job.” Or, “Adoption is just not for us.”  Or, “God has given you the grace to do that.”  Or, “There is no way we can find $25 000.00 for an adoption.”  Yeah, like whatever!

What in the world is going on?

Oh my word, it hit me like a ton of bricks—God hardly ever calls us to do things for Him when everything in our lives is hunky dory! He never calls us to walk on the water when our circumstances are sweet.  When I look in the Bible, I see people doing things for the Lord in the midst of impossible circumstances.  Tougher than what my circumstances have ever been in my entire life.  Yet, they did it.  In obedience.  The Lord commanded them–and they went.  Was it hard?  Heavens, yes! Harder than any little mission I have been given to date, that’s for sure.

Why are we called to do things that seem almost ridiculous when our personal circumstances may not be perfect?  Why does God call us to do the impossible when, to us, it seems like we don’t have all our ducks in a row? Because God wants to show His GLORY!  And it is when we step out and do the seemingly impossible tasks He gives us that He can show His glory.  The glory belongs to Him, not us.

Here we are almost in 2010.  Oh my, how times are different!  We’re a bunch of complainers I tell you.  Whiners! We go the the Lord with all our petty, lame little excuses about why we should not, could not, would not, do something He has commanded us to do.  We are so afraid to sacrifice–we don’t want to be uncomfortable.  “It’s just too hard, Lord.”  I’m ashamed to even think about how many times I have said that to the Lord!

Obedience requires sacrifice! Just read about it over and over and over in the Bible.

Sadly, we’re just not willing to sacrifice anymore. It’s too darn uncomfortable.

Taking care of orphans is a command, friends.  In no translation I have ever read has it said, “Now, if you feel like it, and when your home is big enough, and when you have enough money, THEN you should take care of the orphans.  Nope–my Bible says to take care of the orphans!  Period. No questions asked.  No if.  No but.  No maybe.

DO IT!

I am so thankful we have the Lord’s Word as our guide.  I am so thankful we get to look at the lives of those who have gone before us…and learn.  And I am so thankful that I live now, and not then.  Times are so much easier than what they were in biblical times–we really have no excuses.  If our forefathers could do the impossible things God told them to do–why the heck can’t we do it now?

Truthfully, I am so tired of people telling us that we are doing such an amazing thing.  It’s not amazing!  We are no different to any other couple.  We’re just your average Joe’s–living in an average home, earning average money.  We are nothing special. We’re sinners saved by grace. The truth is that anyone can have our mission.  Anyone.  It amazes me how many Christians are looking for a fancy mission in life–a platform where they can have their ‘ministry’.  If only they would turn their hearts toward home and have a mission right under their own roofs. What a profound difference that would make to the orphan crisis.

There is no excuse for the 147 million orphans around the globe.  No excuse!  Where are the Christians to take care of them?  There sure are enough of us to take care of the problem.  If only we would get it.

Let’s be honest–the time to bring home a child will never be perfect.  There will always be some reason we can find to justify why we should not do it.  We live in an imperfect world where there are always reasons to not live a life of crazy surrender.  We are so blooming good at justifying things, aren’t we?

And while we find our reasons and excuses–children die daily.  Ninety five percent of children with Down Syndrome die.  They die from sheer neglect–while we live the good old American Dream.  You know, I would even go as far as to say that I don’t believe God has to ‘put the call to adopt in our hearts’.  No–He’s already commanded each and every Christian to “care for the orphans!”  It’s a done deal.  There’s no need to wait for that audible voice from heaven to ring out loud and clear.  It’s as clear as daylight in the only manual we will ever need in this life. How sad that so many Christians pick and choose which parts of the Bible they want to believe.

I am so out of excuses, my friends.  As I sit here writing this, I cannot think of one good enough reason as to why we should not be doing what we do.  Not one.  I look at the faces of those children in the video, and every one of my lame excuses seems so downright pathetic.

No. More. Excuses.  I’m done with them.  I am dead to my fleshly desires and my earthly needs.

Seeking the Kingdom of God above all else is all that really matters in this life.

Categories
Categories
Archives
Archives