To Loan or Not to Loan...That is the Question

First off I would like to say that this post is in no way meant to offend anyone. I am hoping to respectfully share my views on the financial piece of this adoption.

Adoption is a topic that has been on our hearts for a very long time. When we had been married for a few years we were actively trying to achieve a pregnancy. After nearly 1 1/2 years we were told it would be highly unlike we would ever conceive unless we both underwent surgery. You see, not just one of us had fertility issues, we both did. Thankfully the Lord saw fit to bless us with a child, and another child, and another child. Each time it took us 1+ years to get pregnant. However, the longing to adopt a child into our hearts & home never went away.

A few years ago my husband lost his job when his employer of 15+ years closed it's doors suddenly. We lost everything - savings accounts, retirement plans, money invested in the company stock - thousands of dollars. We even ended up selling our home & moving into something we could afford more easily. We were burdened with financial issues we had never had before. In an instant he went from making a good living to earning nothing. There were times when I had to scrounge to have enough money to buy a gallon of milk. These were HARD times which subsequently caused our credit score to plummet. There were many times when we had to choose between feeding the kids or paying our bills. We always chose to go to the grocery store.

We are finally, after many years, recovering from these financial losses. Hubby finally has a good paying job with good benefits. He works hard and we've learned to live simply out of necessity at first, but quickly realizing the value that comes from not being burdened by having "can't get enufitis". I do not miss getting credit card bills in the mail!

That being said, we are just now recovering financially. A loan is just not an option for us. It certainly would be an easy fix, but in all honesty I'm not sure that's what we're going for. This has been just as much of a faith journey for us as it's been an adoption journey. When we decided to take this leap of faith we knew God would have to be our provider. I don't think I've ever had a time when I've had to so completely rely on God. It is so HARD at times, but it has also been so AMAZING! I have seen His hand at so many points of this journey. I always knew He was working on my behalf, but never before has it been so real, so tangible.

So we have prayed for a miracle. We've prayed that people will see the value in what we are trying to accomplish & will be moved to come along side of us in big or small ways. We are not just trying to have another child. With God's grace we will provide a loving, Christian home for one of His children that does not have a family. We will bless a child & we will be blessed in return.

When we receive donations for our adoption expenses it means so much because of what the money represents ~ it represents support for our family & for the child we are praying home. Is it hard to say we need help? Yes, absolutely! But ultimately we believe our end reward ~ both when our child comes home & when we come home to Heaven ~ will be great. Our God is a God of miracles & we move forward in faith, believing He has one planned just for us!

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:2-12