I couldn't have said it better myself Part Seven

When we first started fostering our NUMBER ONE main concern was Kobe and what this would mean for him and how it would effect him.

Of course we were concerned it may have a negative effect but I have been pleasantly excitedly surprised to see that when I have met grown up kids that have parent that foster that they are amazingly compassionate people who truly care for others and have huge heart bursting with love for "the least of these".

I am beyond excited to think that my son will grow up with a true love for people that can never be taken away or forgotten.

I want to share with you a post I read that Kylee, a senior in high school, posted that challenged me today:

the post where I am brutally honest.

I have toiled around with writing this post for a long time, but have refrained from doing so for fear of offending or even coming across as self-righteous. While I have come to the point where I honestly do not care if I offend people with what I am about to say, the last thing I want to do is come across as self-righteous. This needs to be said though, so with that in mind, here we go:

There are over 463,000 children in the U.S. foster care system. Look at that number again and think of it in terms of individual children. Every single one of those children has been removed from their home. Drugs, alcohol, starvation, prostitution, abuse, neglect, these children have seen it all.Over 50% of those children will never be reunited with their families.

There is an estimated 143 million orphans in the world.143 million. Orphans Hope gives a painful analogy: "It is hard to grasp such large numbers, so picture being on a very long road trip. If you had these [143 million] orphans hold hands in a line, you would see over 1,700 orphans per mile. If you were to follow that line of orphans holding hands, driving 60 mph, you could drive 24 hours a day seeing 1,700 orphans every mile, hour after hour, day after day without stopping for over two months, and you would still see orphans holding hands." Think about that.

God's heart if for the orphan. His heart is for the least of these.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. -James 1:27

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." -Matthew 25:40

But what are American Christians doing? NOTHING.

While 26,000 children die of easily preventable causes every single day, we're busy renovating our homes and buying new cars.

Did you know that one child dies every three seconds? One precious, precious child that was creator by our Lord and Savior.

We have to stop pretending like those numbers don't exist. We have to stop pretending like we don't care. As Christians, this life is not about us. When will us materialistic Americans wake up and realize that? I include myself in that. Will I ever realize that material possessions mean absolutely nothing?

It has been estimated it would cost 13 billion dollars to provide basic nutrition for every starving person in the world. Did you know that American Christian's spend 11 billion dollars a year on coffee? Did you know that we spend 17 billion a year on golfing and boating? Did you know we spend 4 billion dollars a year on cosmetics? Did you know that we spend 105 billion dollars every single year on eating out? (Watch this video, please)

So how long does this go on for? Because right now, Christians are failing miserably at helping the orphans of our world.

Churches all across the country are overlooking the needs of these orphans. Churches are busy spending thousands upon thousands of dollars renovating their churches to make them comfortable and luxurious for their members. Churches are busy buying the newest technology and upgrading their staffers to the iphone 4, while thousands of children die because they have nothing.

There are no excuses. God doesn't care if you already have six children. He doesn't care if you don't have the finances at your disposal. He doesn't care if you think you're past the age of raising children. He doesn't care if you're too tired or too busy. He doesn't even care if you're "not done yet" having biological children.

Orphans are dying as we stuff our faces with food, buy new wardrobes and play on our latest technology.

I'm sick of what I see in America. I'm sick of watching fellow Christians try to talk my family out of fostering and adopting. I'm sick of watching churches put their wants over the needs of the orphan.

I am sick of Christians thinking that the "American Dream" is for us. It is not! We are called to stand out and to "live a life worthy of the calling we have received" (Ephesians 4:1).

And honestly, I have never been so passionate about anything in my life.

I would usually end a post like this with "now I realize not everyone is called to adopt...", but today, I'm not going to do that.

These orphans need homes, and I am obviously not here to tell you whether or not God wants your family to adopt. I do know that He wants you to do something. I have been blessed with a family that has demonstrated for me what it looks like to care for 'the least of these' and I know that God will continue revealing ways to me to help with the orphans. I am on my knees tonight, praying fervently that the rest of the Christians in American have their eyes opened up to this need.

And as I pray, I am praying that I can be radical for Christ.

Because I am beginning to feel for the first time what it feels like to be so passionate about something that it hurts. Praise Jesus!