"If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:26,27

I've had the idea in my head for a while that I want to adopt. I really had the idea in my head after I went to Africa.

International Orphans
· Sub-Sahara Africa has the highest proportion of orphans – 43.4 million
· The proportion of orphaned children generally increases with age
§ 12 percent are 0-5 years old, equating to 17.5 million orphans
§ 33 percent are 6-11 years old, equating to 47 million orphans
§ 55 percent 12-17 years old, equating to 79 million orphans
· In Central and Eastern Europe, almost 1.5 million children live in public · By 2010, the number of children orphaned by AIDS is expected to exceed 25 million
· 20 percent of households with children in southern Africa are caring for one or more orphans

So, I just read an "article" today on the subject. A girl wrote in concerning adoption. She said she wanted to adopt and did not really have a desire to have children of her own. She says she believes it is selfish to have children of our own when there are so many in the world without parents. She wrote in to a column asking advice because of all the negative feedback she had been getting on her philosophy.

The columnist replies: "There's no question that your desire to adopt is in line with God's will for believers. So where does that leave your plan to adopt instead of having your own children? The best place to look for answers to your question about preventing birth is Scripture. Nothing in the Bible suggests that some married couples are set apart to not have children. Never does the charge to care for orphans and widows come at the expense of natural children. The ministry of adoption is in addition to biological offspring. Throughout Scripture, natural children are always presented as a blessing to be embraced. As such, biblical marriage presupposes an openness to the blessing of children".

While I agree with the response, I wonder. If having my own children would financially constrain me from adopting, I think it would be "right" for me personally to make a decision to adopt. It seems almost wrong for myself to (in the future) have my own kids when there are so many that need love. Why wouldn't I adopt?

Granted, these are all thoughts running around in my head, and I have not done any extensive thinking or researching on the topic. I am, however, curious about any opinions other people might have.