“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 (NIV)
When I picked up Kate from school today she launched into a conversation even before she closed her car door. She has been working on a “Ted-talk” style speech for her English class. Her topic: Why International Adoption Is Important. One of her classmates topic: Why We Should Ban International Adoption.
Being a mom of two girls who were internationally adopted, I’m a bit passionate about this subject.
She related to me this classmates points. I listened, my mind racing in overdrive. Then she looked at me with those eyes that melted my heart 11 years ago and I let out all my thoughts. I’m sure you can imagine what I said and how impassioned I was saying them.
Then she told me how this classmate had told her that it says in the Bible to take the log in your own eye before you take the speck out of someone else’s eye and that can be interpreted as America should take care of its country’s kids first.
“WHAT! Let’s look that up in the Bible.” I grabbed my Bible and we found it, right there in Matthew where Jesus is talking about judging others.
“Oh,” Kate whispered.
“This is why we need to be like the Bereans. Know your Bible. How do you know it? By reading it every day.” I could feel a lecture coming on. I prayed then continued, “It’s not about being a good American. The bottom line is…I’m your mom and you’re my daughter. It just so happens that you were born in China. I would go anywhere and do anything to adopt you because we belong together.”
I then flipped to one of my favorite verses, Ephesians 2:10. Here Paul tells us that God has prepared good works for us to do and we get the privilege of walking them out. I believe that before time began, God predestined me to be Kate and Sara’s mom.
James 1:27 and Ephesians 2:10 march together, hand in hand, to the tune of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
I cautioned Kate on the dangers of putting God in a box. If I had believed that I should not have adopted internationally because of some national pride, I would have missed out on being her mom. She may have never heard of Jesus. Quite honestly, with how malnourished she was when I adopted her, she may not even be alive today.
If God is calling you to something that other’s may think crazy or even wrong, don’t listen to them. Follow what God is saying, walk in the good works He has for you, and watch the adventure He will take you on!
