Tag: family

Rejected But Accepted

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Rejected

Based on Mark 12:1-8

As we read these verses, we read about Jesus telling the story about the man who planted a vineyard. We see where the man sent out his servants to collect the harvest, but the farmers killed the servants. So the man then sent out his son thinking to himself they won’t kill my son. Well, the farmers did kill his son. Let us take our focus to the part of verse 10. It says, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”

As I sit here this morning, I being an adopted child have struggled with being an adopted child and have felt rejection so many times. About seven years ago I met my Birth mother for the first time, but before she accepted to have contact with me during the waiting time for me, it seemed like forever. Finally, the day came when the case worker called and said my birth mother was ok with having contact with me.

Adopted children struggle with the feelings of rejection. A minister came to our church one time, and he sat and talked with me and said I struggle with two things, and one of those things was the feelings of rejection.

Jesus had to feel rejected by the way that people treated him, but because he was God manifested in the flesh he accepted and loved the people that rejected him.

We are human, and we all probably have felt the feelings of rejection, but we have to realize that Jesus won’t reject us. He loves us. When we come to him we become part of his family he adopted us. He gave us his name. It’s just like when I was born my birth mother gave me a name, but when I was adopted my parents changed my name. When we become part of the family of God not only does he give us his name but we begin to change because he changes us.

So when you feel like people have rejected you, remember that Jesus has accepted you, and he loves and he wants to change you.

 

Written by Sherry Hensley

What About Adoption?

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adoption2I am going to talk about adoption I have not done that in awhile. We live in a world where abortion happens all the time.

Since I am ProLife with no exceptions, abortion is out of the question. In the Pro-Choice world, they say that abortion is safe. Abortion is never safe. Someone is always being killed.

What about adoption? Adoption is a safer option and its a loving choice. I am with a few adoption groups on Facebook, and they make adoption as being a bad thing and I know why. There are adoptee’s who have had negative experiences with adoption. I want to add no parent is perfect, and no child is perfect. My life was blessed by adoption. I am the adoptee. I always knew I was adopted.  Does being adopted bother me? Not at all.  Would life be different if I were born into my family? No. Do I think about what my life would have been if I were not adopted? I don’t think about it, but I do know that it would have been different.

When I talk about adoption, I always say that Adoption saves lives. It saved mine. I also say that Love goes deeper than blood.  Adoption in today’s world is different than when I was adopted. The adoptions back when I was born where more “Closed” and in today’s world they are more “Open”. Today the birth mother likes to choose who will be her baby’s parents.

My birth mother is a strong woman she allowed God to choose my parents, and she placed me in God’s hands and she is a hero in my life.  If it were me in my birthmother’s situation, I would want to know about my baby so I would have chosen open adoption.

Adoption is a life-saving option. There are couples out there that can’t have children and are praying for a baby. Adoption gives babies and children who can’t be cared for by the natural parents the gift of a family.

 

Re-homing should not be an option

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Just reading articles today to what to give my opinion on I came across an article on Adoption.net about the Republican Lawmaker Justin Harris from Arkansas and his Wife were formally foster parents to 3 sisters. The oldest one was giving them problems so was return to Department of Human Services. The younger two they ended up adopting. Well problems still continued so less than a year later the younger children went to live with a Family friend of the Harris’s.

This breaks my heart because at least one of the younger sisters was raped.  There is much more the story and you can read the full article at www.adoption.net.

Going to give my input. There are a number of Children in the Foster Care system. A lot of them are there because they came from homes where there was abuse, drugs and probably issues like a child that has special needs.

Children in the foster care system are dealing with issues and they need love, care, and compassion just like the rest of us. They actually need more love, more care, more compassion, more kindness, more gentleness.

Adopted Children also need more love, more care, more compassion, more kindness, more gentleness. When a couple adopts a child that child is there’s legally, they have the same rights as biological children, they need to love that child, need to work with that child, and if the child has issues you get the child help.

I am adopted and I am in a few adoptee groups online and I have read the stories. Adoptees can feel like they have been rejected. I would be lying if I said I never went through that. I did feel that way several times in my life. My birth mother took care of me for a week while in the hospital and then I was in foster care for 6 weeks and a couple of days before I went to my adoptive home.

If you are planning on adopting talk with others who have adopted, talk with adoptees, seek Godly counsel and talk with several different agencies before making the final decision.

Adoption is a wonderful thing and I am blessed to be adopted.  I am glad that my parents didn’t go pawning me off to someone else just because I had my moments. They showed me love and worked with me and loved me as their own.

So my opinion when a child is adopted re-homing should not be an option.

A strong christian home

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I grew up in a strong christian home and I am grateful for the upbringing that I had, but it didn’t start there. It started before I was born. I am thankful that my birth mother saw me as a gift. When she made the decision to place me for adoption was that I be place in a strong christian home. A true mothers love. A mother watches out for her children and the salvation for her children should matter as well. I think my birth mother probably thought about my salvation. She wanted me to be raised in a strong christian home where I would go to Sunday School, learn about Jesus and know who Jesus is. She wanted me to be in a home where Faith was taught and it was real.

God was faithful to her request. God picked my parents for me. My adoptive mother was even my sunday school teacher when I was around the age of two and three.

Being raised in the Christian home that I was in we had the privilege to attend a Christian school from K-12 grade. I accepted Jesus in my heart at the age of 7 in the middle of a chapel service at school.

I am thankful for my birth mother who made the request for a strong christian home. I am thankful for my parents who raised me in the truth and taught me about Jesus.

 

The gift of life.

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What comes to your mind when you think about life? We most likely think about our families, friends, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, brothers, sisters and so on.  Now have you ever thought about what life would be like without you here.  For me just thinking about what life would be like without me makes me cringe. Just the thought of knowing that I had a biological great-aunt that wanted me dead makes me sick. Yes that is a sickening thought and what the devil wanted to destroy God turned around for good. You see my birth mother saw me as a gift, a gift from God. When I first got in contact with her one of the first things she said was “I have always loved you and you where the beginning of my healing process.” It is amazing as to how God can take something that is so horrible and traumatic and turn it around for his glory. It is as if God was saying ok yes you were done wrong to but I am going to give to you a little baby girl to help you heal.  It is amazing God can even use unborn children to help their mothers heal even before they are born. When I heard that I was the beginning of her healing process I thought God that is so amazing you used me even before I was born.

Had it been different for me my parents probably would not have had the baby girl that they prayed for. My older brother who also is adopted probably would not have a little sister, my grandparents would probably not have had a  precious grand-daughter, and my husband probably would still be single. And my church family probably would not have heard  a story about someone who could have been aborted, but was saved and placed for adoption.

I am so thankful for my birth mother who saw me as a gift and chose to share that gift with others. Life truly is a gift and a gift from God.

Adoption God’s idea

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Growing up my parents would read both to my brother and I books and explain to us that we both were adopted. So at a very young age I knew I was adopted.  For me growing up it really was no different. We were a family. We had our moments like all families do.

It makes me sad when I read stories by other adoptees who were mistreated by their adoptive parents. We live in a very negative society. How often do we hear something positive anymore? Not very often. It breaks my heart when there are about 1.25 million abortions and 1.5 million people waiting to adopt. My Birthmother chose adoption for me because of her circumstances and she knew that there where couples out there who could not have children. When she decided to place me she wanted me placed in a strong christian home.  God was faithful to that request.

Growing up in a christian home we learned about Jesus and reading in the bible about the spirit of adoption. Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  I love how Adoption was God’s idea first and that I can relate very well with Romans 8:15 because I am adopted legally.

We are so special to God that he came to earth put on flesh and paid the price and now we can call him daddy. My parents paid a price and I became legally theirs and from the first moments that I could talk I called them mommy and daddy.