I have to recommend this amazing movie. Its called "Martian Child" silly name, I know... but sometimes names can be deceiving. It's about a man who's wife has recently died (played by John Cusak) and had wanted to adopt. He isn't sure if he can handle parenting a child on his own, but wants to honor his wife. He meets this little boy who has never had a family and has bounced around from foster family to foster family. As a defense mechanism he makes himself believe that he is from mars. Hence the name. =)
I LOVE this movie. I've been thinking about adopting lately. Not something I would do in the next couple of years or anything... but after Nick and I have a couple of kids of our own adopting a child around 5-7 years old who's never had a family to love them. I think its so sad when kids get a little older like that they have a much smaller chance of being adopted and loved. I just think that if Nick and I could even give one of these kids a home... it could have such a lasting and far-reaching affect.
I never thought I would ever want to adopt. I never could imagine loving a child who I didn't give birth to, but I was talking to my sister in law tonight and she told me a great story. Susan, my lovely sister in law, was adopted by her dad when she was 5. He married her mom when she was 3, so he took on the role of her father at that age, but the adoption wasn't finalized until she was 5. One time Susan asked her dad what she was like as a baby, and he told her all these stories... only for Susan to say... "but dad, you weren't there yet." Because he feels like he was always there. Like Susan was always his daughter. When talking about her attributes he will sometime say "you got that from me!" In fact, when Susan's mom one time brought up adopting a child he told her he wasn't sure he could love another child as much as his own flesh, entirely forgetting that Susan is not his biological daughter! I love that. I think it's just absolutely the heart of God.
And you know, when I really think about it, this spirit of adoption has been prevalent in my family for most of my life. My parents' house has always seemed to attract kids that needed to feel like they had a family or parents that would encourage them. These kids (our friends) had families of their own, but sometimes families don't love their kids the way they should, so my parents would treat them like they treated us kids. Essentially our friends became part of the family. My dad and mom have always been great about recognizing this need in our friends and have never shied away from giving them the feeling that they were loved as part of our own family. I guess that it wouldn't be such a departure for me.
So.... these are just my rambling thoughts on something that has recently been on my heart. Who knows what the Lord has in store for Nick and I. I just know that if we did adopt a child, like in this movie, Jesus would absolutely give me the capacity to love that child as my own.
So go rent this movie. It may change your heart too.
