Help Your Own

ready to step on some toes here, but lately i feel like it must be said.

ever since we have adopted from china the phrase "help your own" has come up, a lot.

don't get me wrong, i do understand where these well meaning people are coming from, but that does not mean i agree with them. there's the beauty of america summed up in one sentence.

when we began our adoptions, we were going completely on God's calling on our life and His will for our family. we didn't adopt for Facebook pictures, or to look "good" or so we could get ugly stares from women in grocery stores. we just didn't.

we adopted because God commands we as christians care for the orphans. He doesn't ever suggest it or tell us we can if we want to. He is VERY clear on orphan care and it's a command. (james 1:27)

i  clearly remember quite a few very ugly Facebook statuses wrote about our family claiming that we were selfish to adopt from another country when there were plenty of children in our own backyard that needed help. why go around the world when you can simply go to another state? "help your own first."

reasonable, i assume, except for this one thing: no where in the bible does God say "Help the orphans in your country" He simply tells us to help the orphans (and widows) in their distress. our family did just that. we adopted three children who would have grown up in an institution. never knowing who this Jesus is.

if you are not doing anything to help anyone, i really don't have anything to say to your judgement on my family. if you believe we should "help our own" then by all means, get out there and help! there are multiple places/organizations that would be happy to have volunteers. but please, don't tell others who are helping someone somewhere that they should help someone different, when you yourself aren't doing anything to begin with. everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but please for the love of all that is good in this world, be kind and wise with what you say and type.

i believe every child deserves a family. no child ever deserves to be left to grow up in an orphanage. babies need mamas not caregivers. so, why does it matter where the needy child comes from? why should it matter what this child looks like or what language it speaks? a child is a child. and they all need a home.

God does not see us as americans, africans, chinese, russians, or europeans. He sees us as His children. we're all desperate for His mercy and His endless grace. we're all His. regardless. so, next time instead of raging the "Help Your Own" war. give grace and rejoice in the fact that a child has a home and is beloved. rejoice in the fact that there is one less orphan in the world. rejoice in the fact that a man/woman is willing to leave their home and go to the corners of the world to share His good news. and next time, get out there and change the world yourself. no matter where it is you end up.