Christians are lovingly commanded by God to love others, particularly the innocent, the young, and the poor. If you have ever felt even the smallest pang of curiosity about adoption, the merest flicker of interest in an orphaned child, ask God if he wants to fan it into a flame. Then trust him to take care of the details. As you consider adoption, focus on the resources you do have and let God take care of what you don’t.

What God Wants for His Kids

So how does God feel about adoption? A look at the scriptures paints a clear picture.

Love one another
The main message that Jesus preached throughout the Gospels was for people to love God with all they have, then love one another with abandon. Look at Christ’s attitude toward children. Whenever children approached him, he lovingly gathered them to him. In Mark 10: 13 – 14, the disciples tired to keep the children away from Jesus, and Jesus was not happy about it. The passage states:

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them. ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ (NIV)

If the kingdom of God belongs to “such as these,” then the care of hurting children is not the world’s problem; it is the responsibility of God’s people, who are royal members of his kingdom. Kerry Hasenbalg, former executive director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, tells this story of God’s revelation to her about the role orphans play in God’s plan:

“I vividly remember when God first spoke to me about his royal family, the orphans. I had invited special friends of ours, two young ladies who became orphaned during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, to spend the holidays with us, and I was furiously preparing my house and decorating it like I had never done before. I can remember standing at my kitchen island and beginning to laugh at myself, thinking, Why in the world am I cleaning like this - as if the Queen of England is coming to stay? And immediately, I heard that still, small voice of God gently say to my heart, Because members of my royal family are coming to stay with you. And so it was, at that moment, I understood that he – the King of kings – is serious about being the Father of the fatherless – so they are the royal family of God. (3).”

The Chance to be Part of God’s Big Picture