How Our decision to adopt came about~

I will remember the moment like it just happened. I was sitting on our sofa and Dan was lying on the floor with his highlighter in hand reading the e-book by Dan Cruver (founder of Together for Adoption) called, "Our Adoption in Christ- What it means for us and orphans." Dan Cruver works at a church in Greenville, and Dan met him through a friend. Dan had been following Dan Cruver's twitter and blog for a while now.
Once he finished reading the last page of the e-book, he pretty adamantly shut the book and looked up with me and said, "Ok, I am ready to adopt!" I was taken by surprise a little, but was also thinking deep down to myself, "Ok, just give him a few days and he'll get over it (hopefully)!"
Up until this point, we both had felt our family was complete for now and were pretty content with that.

I did read the e-book about 2 weeks later, and my eyes were just opened by how Biblical it was to adopt, and by the current statistics of how many children are in need of a loving home.

I don't want anyone to think that I just read the e-book and that was it. I actually had a heart for adoption and loved the idea and thought it was great. But only under two conditions would I have ever adopted outside of this situation- 1. Later in life- when my kids were older and it would be more convenient for me. 2. If Dan would agree or I guess I should say, if he were open to it as well. I guess simply put- I would do it when it was convenient for ME!

Up to this point, I had never really had a serious conversation about adoption with Dan, because I just figured that if it would ever work out, it would be later.

Funny how God works . . . here we are waiting on baby #4! Literally. It could be any day, week or month! I am smiling about that though- real big!


Two verses that were convicting to me as I went through this process-
James 1:27- Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:22- Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
James 1:25b- being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.


In my next post, I will dig deeper into what these verses mean to me and how they spoke to me.