This morning I was talking with my boys about how sometimes people with physical disabilities are treated as inferior, stared at, laughed at. In many countries, discrimination keeps them from getting married, getting jobs, being institutionalized, and worse.
They were shocked.
"But why, mom? Who cares if a hand doesn't look the same?" they said. "Their insides are! And God cares about our HEARTS."
As I spend today at the hospital with Miss M, I'm surrounded by children with all kinds of ailments. Physical problems, sicknesses. The things that keep so many from adopting children with special needs.
Yesterday, my very good friend brought her daughter to the hospital to spend time with M. Together they ate chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and painted each others' toes. And giggled the whole time. I so wished I brought my camera and had captured the moment.
In the midst of the joy, my friend said, "THIS is the face of special needs. A little girl who loves ice cream and nail polish who just happens to come to the hospital every 3 weeks for transfusions. Who, if left in her birth country, may not have lived long."
And yet so many children like our precious M endure pain and isolation around the world because they are considered worthless, or unlucky, or contagious, or their caregivers simply don't have the resources to care for them.
It's been THRILLING for R and I to see God working in a mighty way around the United States, burdening the church to care for orphans. Slowly but surely, God's people are rising up to love as Jesus taught...here in our faith community, we've seen 8 children rescued in the past two years and at least 4 more are soon to come home!
But who will go for the rest?
With 147 million orphans worldwide, the need is staggering. And those with special needs or are older have little chance of being picked.
"It's really sad. But I'm not in a position to adopt right now.
If I had more money...
If I had more time...
If my job wasn't so time-consuming...
If I didn't already have kids...
If I couldn't have kids of my own...
If I was younger...
If I was older..."
But WHAT IF
We erased our idea of the American dream and allowed God to redefine our dreams?
We stopped worrying about what others think and thought instead of how orphans feel?
We considered that maybe, just maybe, God gave us all that we have so that we would spend it on those who have nothing?
We considered that our whole reason for living was to learn to love with great abandon?
Would we save every child?
Sadly, probably not. But for the ones who do find love and acceptance and family...
Wouldn't it be worth EVERYTHING we have?
