Shanti's Top Ten Reasons to Adopt

I was thinking this morning that Superman and I have truly been blessed by our children. I can't imagine if we had skirted God's call and avoided adoption in the first place. I mean, it would have been easy. We could have skipped the paperwork, home visits, birth parent visits, court dates, endless paperwork (oh, did I already mention that?) and general pain-in-the-rear-ness that comes with adopting. But it wasn't even a question for us. We knew that was what we were supposed to do; so we did it. Even though I had intense hesitation about adding a fifth child to our brood, the Lord softened my heart and allowed me to experience the joy of having such a beautiful, wonderful girl in our lives. But you know what? That softened heart didn't just happen. I told the Lord that He would have to change my heart because I sure as heck didn't think I was ready to be a mom of five. And I left it at that. I figured if He wanted me to take another kid in, He was going to have to make a miracle happen. And miracle-maker is His middle name. Well, maybe not, but you get the point. 

Can you imagine this picture with one of these kids missing? Me neither. Oh, and that bronzed tall man isn't too shabby, either. 

So, here are my top 10 reasons to adopt: 

10. Stretch marks? No worries! You get to skip that part!

  9. Morning sickness, being uncomfortable and having to use a body pillow to sleep is for the birds!

  8. Seeing a living example of how we are "adopted" into God's family is priceless.

  7. Knowing you are making an actual, real difference in the life of a child is one of the most amazing feelings.

  6. Realizing you can love someone who isn't "from you" just as much as your birth children.

  5. There's always more room in your heart to love than you think.

  4. Passing on your traditions and beliefs to children who may otherwise have never experienced a Christmas   

      morning or Thanksgiving or birthday celebration is incredibly rewarding.

  3. Knowing you are changing the world...even if it's just a small part of it.

  2. You will be stretched and pushed beyond your comfort zone and forced to grow, even if you don't think 

      you want to. 

  1. Joshua, Michael, Naomi, Grace and {insert name here}. 

There are thousands and thousands of kids around the U.S. and the world waiting for a family to love them. Are you being called?