Don't Let Fear Steal From You!!!
What has fear stolen from you? It could have robed me of my family, if I hadn’t had a persistent nudging of the Holy Spirit and my husband. Choosing to adopt was a scary decision. The “what if” scenarios were endless. What if he or she doesn’t fit in? What if we don’t love them enough and they have issues? What if we don’t have enough money? What if this completely changes my life? Now as I think back on that time and I think what if we hadn’t chosen to adopt. We would have missed so much without our son Abraham, with his silly ways and beautiful smile. And his hugs, he has been declared the best hugger in the family. And Samuel what if we had refused the clear leading of the Lord to adopt again, this time to Africa. We would have missed out on his beautiful, and persistent child. Samuel is a delight, his current favorite song is, in his words, “Saddle up your horseys” it’s a bible school song. Let me read you a few lines, saddle up your horse we’ve got a trail to blaze, through the wild blue yonder of Gods amazing grace, let’s follow our leader into the glorious unknown, this is a life like no other this the great adventure. Those words fit Sam he’s persistent, fearless, and charges headlong into the unknown seeking adventure. What if we did that everyday going fearlessly with God into the unknown?
Many of you know we have started another adoption. We are going to Ethiopia again, it’s where Sam is from. Are agency told us to expect a referral in 1 to 3 months. A referral is when our agency sends us pictures and information about a specific child or children. We have requested 1-2 children 0-12 months old, boy or girl. We are getting excited and waiting expectantly for their arrival. We expect to travel a couple months after referral. We would appreciate your prayers and support. We have started a blog so friends and family can follow our journey to bring another Singleton home.
Today is Orphans Sunday and I have felt God pushing me to share with you his heart for orphans. God has called our family to adopt, but he has called us all to care for the orphans in some way or another. James 1:27 says, “The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of the orphans and widows .” Before, I wasn’t seeing the heart of God. I thought only a few were called and I didn’t want to push my passion for adoption and orphans off on someone else. But recently God has been showing me how wrong I am. Orphans are close to his heart, again and again in his word he calls to defend the cause of the orphans, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, visit the sick, orphans are all these things and when we’ve done all these things to them then we’ve done it to Jesus. There are 143 million orphans in the world today. Ethiopia has nearly 5 million alone and it is the size of Texas. The need is real and overwhelming but with all of us doing our part we can change the world one orphan at a time. Let me read you a paragraph from Tom Davis’s book Fields of the Fatherless, “Here’s that number again 143 million. I know that seems like a lot, but compared to the number of professed Christians living on the earth. That number is 2.1 billion. There are 159 million people who claim to be Christians in the United States alone. I know you see where I’m heading, but is it so far-fetched? With so many Christian in the world, is it so far out of the realm of possibility to imagine every one of those orphans being adopted into a family just as God has adopted us? If only 7% of professing Christians around the world responded, every single orphan in the world would have a home.” Adoption is a beautiful wonderful way to build your family. There is nothing like walking hand and hand with God as he leads you to that child he has ordained from the beginning of time to be in your family. Don’t let anything stop you if you feel God leading you in this direction.
There is a verse in Psalms 116:6-7 that perfectly describes Sammy’s adoption, it says, “he stoops to look, and lifts the poor from the dirt, and the hungry from the garbage dump, and sets them among princes.” What do you think of when you think of princes? I think money, power, and influence. All of these are prevalent here in America and that’s what God did for Sammy he reached down and plucked him out of poverty and placed him in a nation and a home that is rich in so many ways one of which is in the Spirit of the Lord. What if we hadn’t adopted Sammy, would he have known the Lord, now he asks daily if we’re going to church and he wants to hear his “saddle up your horsey song” again and again. With this current adoption the Lord has placed a different verse on my heart, Psalm 68:6, he gives the lonely families, and so we go again. How can we not, our baby is lonely and in need of a home and God has given us so much, and truly we are rich in so many ways we have to share the wealth. Now I know not all of you are called to adopt, but that isn’t the only way to help an orphan. You can pray for them, speak up for them, provide for their needs by sponsoring a child, support those who are adopting or providing foster care homes, visit orphans on mission trips or read any of Tom Davis’s books. I know God has created each of us for a specific purpose and plan for our lives seek to fulfill your calling concerning orphans.
You could help rescue a lonely child. I appeal to you search your hearts and the heart of God and find out how he is calling you to serve the orphans. The Lord has lain upon my heart to defend the cause of the orphan, so I beseech you to follow the Lord in the leading that you might too become a defender of the fatherless too. For I orphans are close to the heart of the Father and therefore they should be close to our hearts.
Ben and I are always open to sharing our story and heart for adoption if you want to speak with us or know someone considering adoption and needs someone to talk to we are eager to be of service.