It happens
everywhere, usually when I least expect it.
At the market. At church. At the doctor’s office. People look at me and say, “I’ve always
wanted to become a foster parent (or adopt), but . . .” And then they begin explain why they never
have. Many, many people have the desire
to love an orphan, and truly believe in their heart that it could be their
calling. Unfortunately, there are
hundreds of reasons, especially here in our affluent, “pursuit of happiness”
country, for why the good intentions never quite materialize into actual
reality.
Okay, let’s
be honest. If you or I personally met a
child whose one and only dream was to belong in a family, who only wanted to
know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a parent’s love, would we
really be able to look into those hopeful eyes and say, “I really want to adopt
some day, but right now my life is so busy.
You know how it is, driving my kids to soccer practice, piano lessons,
and dance classes. I mean, it’s a
full-time job just getting dinner on the table and getting through the
evening’s homework, not to mention how crazy things are at work right now.”
And then could
we really continue with our justification?
“And I’m so sorry, but I really can’t afford to adopt you. After all, we have our family vacation to
Disney World coming up later this year, and pretty soon it’s going to be time
to replace our second car. Would you
excuse me for a second while I take a sip of my Starbucks Grande Pumpkin Spice
Latte? Anyway, as I was saying, I really
do hope to adopt. Some day.” Of course it would be ridiculous to try to
explain our decision-making process that way, and it sounds so harsh. However, every time we put a “but” on the end
of our sentences when talking about fostering or adopting some day, we articulate
the priorities in our life, the treasures in our heart.
