How Do I Know If I'm Called to Adopt?

How do I know if I’m called to adopt?

This is a question I frequently get asked. We know that the Bible calls every single one of us to care for orphans.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” James 1:27

The Bible doesn’t say that all of us should adopt. It simply says that we need to take care of orphans. Orphan care can happen through child sponsorship, family preservation, foster care, grant organizations, and community outreach programs.

Some of my favorite organizations making an impact are: Bloom Family Designs, Pure Gift of God, My Bag, My Story, Tennessee Kids Belong, and Holt International.

While all of us can do something, not everyone is called to adopt. It is just as crucial that adoptive families have a support system of people that are willing to pray, give financially, cook meals, and provide love and encouragement.

Adoption takes a village, and the organizations I listed above are great places to start if God has not placed adoption on your heart.

So, how do you know if you’re called to adopt?

God clearly places adoption on your heart.

I still remember sitting in the back row at church on Orphan Sunday sensing that Scott and I were called to go to China and adopt a little girl. God placed it on both mine and Scott’s heart at the same time and we never looked back.

(If you and your spouse aren’t on the same page regarding adoption, check out my blog post My Spouse Doesn’t Want to Adopt. You are not alone.)

You can’t stop thinking about adoption.

If you spend hours scouring YouTube for adoption videos or reading adoption blogs, let me break something to you. God has given you a heart for adoption.

I encourage you to explore why you can't stop thinking about kids in need of a family.