we are the truth

i've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the culture in which we live, particularly as it relates to children. last week, i took my first guardian ad litem case, and i couldn't help but wonder how a culture that has become increasingly anti-family and anti-children has contributed to the abuse and neglect of children. now, don't worry -- i'm not getting on some kind of james dobson soap box. but i think our culture has become so focused on the individual that we have forgotten how to value other human beings. personally, i think God designed marriage and child-rearing as ways to keep us from becoming too focused on ourselves.

the truth is, our culture sees children mostly as a burden and an inconvenience. and it shows in how we treat them: we abort them, abuse them, and scorn those who choose to have a lot of them. we have forgotten that God's heart is very much for children.

last week, a tennessee woman made international headlines when she put her son, adopted from russia, back on an airplane to his birth country. she claimed the orphanage had lied to her about his psychological state. the joint council on international children's services asked all adoptive families to blog about their adoptions today as a way of standing up for children across the world and proclaiming that adoption is more than just the negative headlines one sees on tv.

but i want to stand up not only for adoption, but for all children in general. children are some of the most voiceless, vulnerable, and defenseless people on this planet. they need us to protect them. to advocate for them. to ensure their well-being. to affirm their worth and their goodness. to love them. to journey with them to healing. to commit to them. to show them their potential. if we fail at these things, we will be left (in about 18 years) with a bunch of unhealthy, unhappy adults.

i want to stand up for that 7-year-old boy from russia and every "older" child like him who gets stereotyped as being "troubled." oh, how badly do i want to yell and scream at the top of my lungs that these "troubled" kids are "troubled" by NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN and deserve to have parents just as much as any kid who was lucky enough to grow up in an environment that promoted healthy brain development. they need families who are willing to love them even if they cannot yet love back.

i want to stand up for every child who has been sexually abused. they deserve safe homes where they're not in danger anymore. they have a right to privacy and dignity. they need people who are willing to advocate for them against their abusers.

i want to stand up for every child who has experienced racism, ableism, and any other -ism that has caused them to question their infinite worth as a human being. i want to tell them that it's not fair how the world judges so harshly. i hope they know that no matter what color their skin is, no matter if they are blind or sighted...NO MATTER WHAT...they are beautiful.

and i want to stand up for every child -- all 153 million -- who needs a family. they deserve the love and stability and permanence and healing that a family can bring. they need someone to believe they are worth the inconvenience. that they are a joyful burden. that they are more important than any cultural value or man's opinion.

what is at stake right now is not just the integrity of adoption but the well-being of children around the world. what are you going to do about it?

but jesus said, 'let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.' - matthew 19:14