Why we foster and adopt?

My wife and I get asked this question a lot.  The truth is that there isn’t just one answer.  Besides the generic, “I’ve wanted to adopt all of my life” or “I love children”.  Why?  This is a question that a lot of us who foster/adopt have a problem answering.  Besides being a good thing to do it may be hard to come up with specific reasons.  While they will be different for everyone, I can tell you why my wife and I decided to become foster and adoptive parents.

1.)  I believe that in Matthew 18:5 (hence the name of the blog), Jesus is calling us to foster and adopt children.  Matthew chapter 18 starts out in verse 1 with the disciples asking Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”  There was a child in the audience watching Jesus.  He called the child up, and told the disciples:

“I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.”

Matthew 18:3-5 NLT

So, what does that mean?  Well it means that we should have the faith of children, but also whoever takes a child in, takes care of a child, loves a child, etc is taking in Jesus Christ, taking care of Jesus Christ, and loving Jesus Christ. 

My interpretation of this is that to truly be like Christ we have a duty to take these children that have been separated from their families into our homes, whether that be permanently (adopt) or temporarily (foster).    

2.)  The second major reason that we decided to become foster/adoptive parents is because the huge numbers of children that are in the foster system in the United States.  According to the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System (AFCRS), by the end of 2009 there were 424,000 children in foster care.  That is astounding to me. 424,000 children that are without their families; some temporarily while their birth families work on themselves and some permanently looking for forever homes.