But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NASB).

There have been some spirited discussions here at AdoptionBlogs.com about the role of charity in adoption. In some versions of the Bible, the above passage is rendered, “faith, hope, charity” and if taken in that context, adoption is all about charity!

As one member eloquently expressed it, “My husband and I would not be in the process of adopting our little girl if we had not first - felt... more

In a previous post, we discussed the plethora of things one should pray for as they relate to adoption. Today we’ll focus on just one: praying for your child to have peace.

Our children must deal with many things throughout their life’s journey. Often there are medical, emotional, and behavioral issues, which can add to a child’s low-self esteem. If there are adverse birthfamily circumstances such as abuse, violence or a criminal history, your child can... more

Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority, so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. (2 Corinthians 2:6-8)

Anger does something to you. It’s a terrible feeling when you are just churning away inside. In Ephesians 4:26, God tells us to “be angry and sin not,“ so clearly anger isn’t prohibited and certainly serves some purpose. However, what we do with that anger is what becomes dangerous. Do we let it eat away at us as a cancer, or do we turn it into something productive... more

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NASB)

Pray for your child's birthmother: She gave your child life. Whatever the reason that led her to adoption, she needs prayer: prayer for healing; prayer for her grief; prayer of consolation in the loss of her child(ren), and prayer during special times such as birthdays and holidays. If there were any extenuating circumstances that led to her adoption decision (abuse, addiction, etc.), pray that those be eased for her and that she seek or receive help.

Pray... more

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected... more

What are your motives for adopting? In the last post, I shared excerpts from Kristin Swick Wong’s book, Carried Safely Home, in which she worked through whether she was adopting for altruistic or selfish reasons. She writes:

We adopted children because God commands that we care for the poor. And we adopted children because these two boys were grafted into our hearts, because we loved them and had to pursue them, because our family would not be complete without... more

“In a perfect world, the ministry of adoption would cease to exist. All couples who chose to could bear a child, all people who bore children would be prepared to parent them, and all children would be love and nurtured by their biological families. Real life doesn’t always happen this way.”

Paula Freeman wrote those words in the Foreword to Kristin Swick Wong’s thoughtful book, Carried... more

Carried Safely Home reads like a prayer. In this beautifully-written book, Kristin Swick Wong interweaves her personal faith journey with her family’s journey to adopt two boys from Vietnam.

Much like the experience I have when reading the Bible, I glean new insights from Kristin’s book every time I re-read it. I began reading "Carried Safely Home" nearly a year ago.... more

This summer I was the guest on "Let's Talk Adoption," a Sacramento, California-based radio show. Host Mardie Caldwell and I discussed the topic, "How to Start an Adoption Support Network in Your Church."

I finally have the 30-minute show downloaded to my Web site. Simply click the link to listen to the show and request a free tip sheet via my Web site, www.laurachristianson.com.

In the previous post, I related a personal experience with “paying it forward.” I posed a question at the end of that post: How can we “pay it forward” to those who are adopting?

Here’s one example: Our church’s adoption ministry periodically offers a series of workshops for those who are considering adopting a child. Parents who have recently adopted volunteer to share their experiences with the newbies.

It’s heartwarming... more