The Financial Side

I have wanted to write about the financial side of our adoption for quite a while, but I haven’t been quite sure how. Finances seem to be one of the forbidden topics in our culture, right next to politics. But for the sake of sharing about the work of God’s hand, I feel the need to tell our story.

I don’t want this to come across as anything we have done, but to show the wonderful provision of a faithful Lord.

We are not “well-off” by any sense of American standards. My husband is a civil engineer, and I stay home with our children, so we are your average, middle class, one income family. We don’t have tons of money, but Travis has always been a very good and responsible money manager. One of the ways that we have been able to pay for our adoption was by selling stocks that Travis had purchased after college. We have talked about how, unbeknownst to us, God’s plan for that money way back then was for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). I am so thankful for Travis’ faithful stewardship of that money. So with those stocks and our savings, we had enough money for an international adoption from Ethiopia (which, in full disclosure, cost around $25,000).

The question we felt the Lord was asking us as we were being led by him to adopt was “Will you trust me with all your money?” We have always stated in our beliefs and theology that our money was God’s, but when the rubber meets the road, were we willing to hand it over? In our case, adoption was not only about the child, but about our trusting and obeying the Lord. He was holding out his hand to us as asking us to lay our money and family into his hand, and see what he would do with it. There was no guarantee or promise, just the question, “Will you trust me with it?”

So we opened our hands, transferred our money and family into his, and said, “It’s yours; do with it as you wish.”

Now, I honestly cannot think of anything more worth spending money on than giving an orphaned child a family. Our hearts have exploded open with concern for the orphans, and I have never felt closer to the heart of God than I do now. For just that reason alone, it has all been totally worth it.

But there is more. From the financial side, the story continues. A few months after we brought Justin home, Travis’ hours at work were reduced from full-time to 24 hours a week, and have remained there to this point, eight months and counting. Our income cut by 40%. …Wait! That doesn’t look like heavenly provision, does it?!

It does. With reduced hours, we have been forced to look at our budget and cut out the wasteful or unnecessary spending (especially eating out!). We have been able to continue to tithe and support our missionary partners. Travis has been able to be home more as our family has transitioned through some big things this year (a HUGE blessing).

With Travis being home more, I was able to continue in a weekly morning Bible study that I wouldn’t have been able to because of child care issues with Justin.

I have been able to get out and meet with dear friends to talk about adoption and help process all that I have been going through.

I cannot say strongly enough that financial blessing does not necessarily mean more finances! It may mean less money and more blessing!

A passage of scripture that the Lord led me to as we were debating the financial side of adoption was Isaiah 58:10-11

“If you spend yourself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

My “sun-scorched land” after our adoption was not financial; it was relational and emotional. And God blessed us with a reduction in Travis’ work hours so I could become “well-watered” by some deeply needed friendship and relational time.

Additionally, as a result of our adoption, Travis has been able to use 200 hours of paid Family Medical Leave instead of using sick/vacation time throughout the year.

And with federal tax rebates and an adoption reimbursement through Travis’ employer, much of the money spent will come back to us.

We have looked at our bank statements this past year and we have asked each other, in all honesty, “where has this money come from?” We just spent all we had and our income has been cut almost in half, but the bank account is not dry, it’s growing. We honestly scratch our heads; it doesn’t seem to make sense. The point I want to make is, God is our faithful provider. He honors those whose hearts seek him. He provides in ways we need, even if we don’t know that’s what we need at the time.

Everyone’s story is different; this has been ours. God is always who he says he is.