the cost

So you probably make about 10,000 choices a day. Or  it’s probably more like a thousand. You can look it up on google.com if you really need to know.
Anyway… With every choice you make, there is a price.
You might gain something. You might lose something.
The course of your entire life could be changed. By making one decision.

When we decided we were going to go the adoption route, we knew our lives would be changed. There is no doubt that adding a 3rd member to a family of 2 is going to rock the boat a bit. I just had no idea how many things in my life it would affect.

When you chose adoption for your family, you say “no” to the things of the world. When you say yes to adoption, you may be saying no to a bigger house, owning a boat, driving a new fancy car, having any kind of savings, re-doing your kitchen (yea that one is hurting my feelings right now), vacations, or a carefree lifestyle of spending.  
{grass is good for you. what? that might have dog pee on it? gross}

If you adopt, you will give up a lot.

We’re feeling that financial crunch on our lifestyle. We’re trying to save. We’re putting off everything we hoped to do around our house. We aren’t spending money on things we used to spend money on, because we spent all of the money we had saved to pay adoption fees.  We have no cushion for frivolous spending. Some days… I feel the weight of it. because I’m kind of a brat like that. sometimes.

  Along with giving up the lifestyle of the rich and famous{or the middle class and boring if you’re like us} , you have be committed; heart and soul.  Adoption will test you. It will break your heart. It is a lifelong commitment to say, “whatever comes with this child, we are willing to take it on. ”  

Now hear me when I say this. SHE. IS. WORTH. IT. This isn’t me regretting having her in our family. Never in a million years would I trade her for a fancy life with lots of things.

Adoption is a way of life.
It isn’t a 1 time decision, and then after it’s done you are just back to the same person, same lifestyle, same faith you had before. 
Once you adopt, you will have new ideas with what you can do with a little extra cash… a raise in your salary, a bonus at work, or maybe a million dollar jackpot lotto ticket …"Think how many kids we could adopt!” is probably the first thing out of your mouth. 

When you choose adoption you will be forever changed by how good God is.
How faithful God is.
Forever changed by how beautiful of a life God has in store for you when you are willing to give it all up, for him.

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:17 

God doesn’t ask you if you feel like encouraging the oppressed. Or if you have time to defend the cause of the fatherless. Or if you have the resources to plead the case of the widow.  
He demands it.  
the reward is well worth the cost

***
this was really my ploy to push for adoption. but honestly, I would hate for someone to go into it thinking it was a fairytale lifestyle. It’s not. It’s hard sometimes. Sometimes you will think you were crazy for doing it. but being crazy is actually kind of awesome. so just do it anyway.