Dear Friend Who Can't Adopt,

There are so many of you. You’re the ones who were most ecstatic when we announced our adoption. You were some of the first to give when we mentioned our financial need. You are the ones who have offered the most consistent support throughout our adoption journey.

You’ve shared your stories with me. I know how your heart aches to be able to provide a home for a child in need. I know how it stings when you hear people say that there would be no more orphans in the world if only every Christian would adopt. I know that the pang in your heart is not the result of a “someday” wish, but the shattered pieces of a lost dream. I know you feel the judgment of sideways glances from adoptive parents who wonder, Why aren’t you doing your part? You wish you could tell them how hard you’ve tried. But, instead of constantly trying to defend yourself, you humbly carry on the fight, knowing that what you’re doing has eternal value.

It’s not that you don’t want to open yourself up to the complications and heartache that adoption brings. It’s not that you simply think that, “Someday it would be nice, but I’m too busy right now.” It’s not because you don’t feel the burden of every child in need of a loving family. You aren’t adopting because… You can’t. You wish you could. You’ve tried. You’ve pounded on doors, you’ve fought the system, you’ve jumped through hoops; yet, for whatever reason, you were denied permission to adopt. 

Still, you don’t give up. There is a fire in your heart to do anything possible to care for orphans. You will not yield. God has given Christians a mission to care for the fatherless, and you continue to march to that order. You can’t adopt, so you are determined to help those who can.

Some of the biggest supporters in our adoption are those who have previously tried to adopt but were not allowed to do so. You know how important this is, and you know the stakes. Adoption was not an idle dream to you. You invested time, money, and your whole heart into trying to bring a child home. Some of you were told that you already had too many children. Others of you were told that your methods of godly discipline were unacceptable, or that you didn’t make enough money, or that your house wasn’t large enough. Some of you went through the unbearable experience of being matched with a child only to have the adoption fall through. 

Whatever your experience, you’ve been through enough to know that adoption is HARD. And you know that there usually isn’t a whole lot of tangible support, even from other adoptive parents. You know this because you’ve gotten the message from them, too. If you aren’t adopting a child *their* way, you’re not caring for the fatherless the “right” way. But you know that’s not what God says. You know that just because you are not able to adopt doesn’t mean that you can’t help give a child a home. So, you tirelessly offer your encouragement, your financial resources, your time, your earthly goods, your wisdom, your love, your everything to support families who are in the process of adoption. Your hope remains that, one day, God will make a way for you to parent a child who desperately needs to know the love of a Christian home. But, for now, you see those who are able to provide those children homes, and you give your all to help them.

You are an invaluable part of this journey.

You have meant so much to us over the last three years. In the days when it looked like our adoption would fall through due to lack of finances, you gave. When it looked like every door was being closed because our agency shut down, you helped us find a new direction. When we desperately tried to be matched with a child and were denied permission because of a certain agency’s unbiblical worldview, you were there to listen, to cry, and to empathize. When we were finally matched with our daughter, you were there to rejoice with us. You’ve shared our fundraisers, you’ve donated items, you’ve cooked us meals, you’ve helped us research, and, most importantly, you’ve diligently prayed for us. Without you, this would have been a very lonely road. You have been a shining example of God’s heart for the orphaned, and the impact of your love for others reaches far beyond anything you can see. We are forever in your debt.

Thank you, precious friend, for caring for the fatherless. Thank you for pouring out your hearts for us. Thank you for helping to provide a home for our daughter. Your sacrifices are not overlooked. May God richly bless you for fulfilling James 1:27.

Love,

Brittany

Photo Credit: Painting by Tianay Lewis