Domestic Adoption, Open Adoption
Here in the United States, media and popular entertainment seem to glorify teen pregnancy. MTV’s reality shows “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” have become increasing popular…making celebrities out of teen mothers. However, it seems that there may be some misperceptions here. Teenage pregnancy is not nearly as glamorous as it may seem on TV.
Below are some strong statistics that help explain the actual challenges of teen mothers in the US.
- 80% of teen moms are on welfare
- Over 50% of children raised by teen moms are reported to Child Protection Services
- Only 1.5% of teen moms graduate from college by age 30 (and only 40% graduate from high school)
- Children raised without a father are twice as likely to quit school and four times as likely to need behavioral help
- Children of teen parents are three times more likely to become teen parents themselves.
Perhaps it’s time to open our eyes to the seriousness of this situation. Teen moms….there is help for you out there. There are plenty of loving Christian families looking to adopt a child in need, and willing to help with the costs of pregnancy including medical expenses.
Christian Adoption, Domestic Adoption
If you feel you’ve been Called To Adoption, the next step is preparation. First and foremost, you’ll want to educate yourself. Learn about domestic adoption vs. international adoption, as well as the different types of adoptions including: closed adoption, open adoption, and semi-open adoption. You’ll not only want to explore your options, but also begin to emotionally and spiritually understand varying adoption situations. Once you can relate with birth mothers and other families who have adopted, you may better understand how fulfilling adoption can be…allowing you to expand your family and open your heart.
Below are a few quick steps to help you succeed in your Christian adoption:
- Determine the type of adoption that is best for you, including the age range and racial background of the child you want to parent
- Find the qualified adoption professional who will help you build your family
- Complete the required paperwork, profile and other requirements to become qualified to adopt
- Prayerfully wait for the child God has for you, using this time of waiting to prepare for parenting
- Joyfully say “Yes!” when you are blessed with the opportunity to adopt a child.
To help you fully prepare and educate yourself about the process of adoption, read Called to Adoption – A Christian’s Guide to Answering the Call, and for more quick adoption guidelines, check out 11 steps to realizing your adoption goals.
Christian Adoption
We recently received this note of praise from a pastor of a Southern California church, Skyline Church:
“Mardie,
Thank you so much for sending me a copy of your book, Called to Adoption.
When I first read the title of your book, it immediately grabbed my heart. I am the father of four adopted children and I too have a passion for it.
Thank you for the work you do.
Blessings on you,
Jim”
Adoption Gifts, Adoption Prayer, Christian Adoption, Domestic Adoption
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice; let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them; let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilth thou compass him with a shield. Psalms 5:11, 12
Let’s face it, it isn’t easy to rejoice every day, especially when you may be dealing with a wait to adopt or another round of fertility treatments and tests. But the Bible promises that if we simply put our faith in our Savior, he will bless and protect us. Why then is that such a challenge for Christians some days?
I know that there were days it was easy to look around at others who had what I wanted and feel that somehow I was being punished by God or was simply forgotten by Him. Why do we do this? The Bible is perfectly clear, just trust and he will provide. Looking back, I know that His plan is perfect, but why is it so hard to believe in the midst of the journey??
This is God’s challenge to us. To teach us patience, obedience and trust. To show us that He is our Father who loves us and He wants to provide blessings for us. We need to trust Him, not fuss and fight every step of the way.
Spend some time today meditating on this verse in Psalms and find the place in your heart and your mind where you can truly trust God, and simply rejoice.
Christian Adoption
I recently received the story below from a mother in hopes that her story could be an inspiration to others:
I always felt that church was a place of refuge, but one Mother’s Day in 2004, what I experienced from so many “well wishing” people almost changed my opinion.
Many had heard that I was hoping to become a mother. I often asked them to pray for my husband and I that we will soon be blessed with a baby. But for some reason, this particular Mother’s Day I had become frustrated, angry, and sad that despite going through fertility treatment, I was still not a mother. I did not have a child, so Mother’s Day was no time to celebrate. For me, it was a day of mourning, and nobody seemed to understand.
There were a few women in the church that I considered friends. So, I confided in one of them about my struggle. My struggle to conceive, my struggle to come to terms with the reality that my life was not going as I had planned, and how I was simply struggling to get through Mother’s Day. It wasn’t a long discussion, but through it, she was able to gain a greater insight and understanding of my plight. An unexpected twist of fate happened as my confidante began to share my feelings with some of the others, who thankfully stopped questioning me about the progress of building our family.
A few weeks later, my friend shared with me she hoped I might consider adoption as a viable option for my family. Admittedly, I didn’t want to hear it at the time but she told me that it may not be the will of the Lord for me to give birth right now. She encouraged me to consider giving it to the Lord and letting him lead, rather than stressing MYSELF over it. She told me that there were adoption professionals that I could talk to that would explain everything that I needed to know. At first, I thought to myself, this won’t work for me — it’s not what we want. But as the conversation continued, I began to see things from a different perspective.
I told my husband about the conversation and he surprisingly agreed. He confessed he had become concerned about me and he just wanted me happy. We tearfully realized together that somewhere along the way, in all the tests and procedures and failures, we had lost sight of our goal to be parents and were solely focused on achieving a pregnancy. He wanted a child to love just as much as I did, and adoption could make it happen when my body could not.
This Mother’s Day will be very different. Our family will be at church: my husband, our two adopted daughters, and I. I can’t wait to take the opportunity to share the beauty of families built through God’s miracle of adoption!
God bless you all on Mother’s Day!
