condemn
{kuh n-dem]
1. to express an unfavorable or adverse judgment on; indicate strong disapproval of; censure.
2. to pronounce to be guilty; sentence to punishment:
3. to give grounds or reason for convicting or censuring:
4. to judge or pronounce to be unfit for use or service:
5. to force into a specific state or activity:
6. to declare incurable.
"14% of children who enter our care each year are condemned to institutionalized care until their 18th birthday."
The crazy thing is that that statement didn't just linger in the air. I'm sitting in a Costa Rican government-run workshop on adoption, surrounded by incredible families who desire to adopt. No one else seemed to be enraged by the words. The presenter wanted to skim over it. As if it's just a reality we can't do anything about. I wanted to stand and defend these children. CONDEMNED? Why are they being sentenced for other's behavior? Condemned? Kids being sentenced to a life without the basic right of being raised in a family. Condemned.
Why are these kids condemned? Simply because there are not enough families to raise them. Not enough people willing to be courageous and love an older child.
And how I wish this was only an issue in the developing world. In the US, there are currently 100,000 kids in foster care waiting to be adopted. 20,000 kids age out of the system each year without the safety net of a family.
We are the ones that should be condemned. Condemned for our apathy. Condemned by being overwhelmed by the hugeness of the problem that we don't make a life-changing decision for one. Condemned because we continue to perpetuate myths that older children in child care deserve nothing more from us.
So here I am, standing up, and saying this is not okay. This is not a future I want for the world. This is an area where we can make a difference.
Would you join me in praying for freedom? For grace and courageousness. For hope. For liberation. For a world where kids not only simply have the right to be raised in families, but are being raised in homes where they have a place to belong and be loved. We are never outgrow our need for family. So I'm dreaming big and believing that Jesus followers around the world will continue to step up. I believe there is a family for every waiting child. Let's be that family.
