Are You Done?

I get this question from so many people.
I know most of them mean well.
But I also know that some say it more as a joke.
Like, "So, you're finally done, huh?"
It seems these days there are very few people who can fathom that we may want more.
Most couldn't believe that we wanted more than 2.
Now...more than 4?!
Surely not.


I know some people feel like we shouldn't have more because of the amount of money we make.
Some feel like we shouldn't have more because of the size of our house.
Some feel like we couldn't possibly give more children the love and attention they deserve.


To them I want to say this:
Do I ask you for money to buy my children groceries?
Am I on government assistance programs?
Am I providing them with less of a life then they had as orphans?
Do my children appear unhappy or unloved?


Now.
Are we going to be able to take elaborate family vacations to Disney World or the beach often?
no.
Are we going to pay for our children to go to college?
probably not.
Are they going to wear new name brand clothes?
nope.
Will we go out to eat every week together?
no, we won't.
Will they have their own bedroom?
no, they don't.


But they will have fond memories of lots of family time together.
They will get an education if they work hard enough for it.
They will be clothed in clean clothes.
They will eat. Every meal.


I am deeply in love with each of my children.
It's something that I can't explain to others.
Sometimes I am short on patience.
Most of the time my house isn't in great shape.
But it's okay.
I'd rather invest in hearts and souls.


I understand that not everyone understands our hearts.
I don't understand others hearts either.
It's okay.
It's what makes the world go round.
Let's just love and respect each other for our differences okay?

We're not irresponsible.
We will not make a bad choice for our family.
But this...this is our hearts.

This blogger just wrote about this same subject...my thoughts exactly.

i see moments like this & immediate praise God that this is my life.

that we listened. not on our power, but by His grace.

we get asked a lot if we "are done."

done bringing children into our family.

to be honest, i'm still usually taken back by the question.

unless it is a close friend, it seems pretty personal to me.

add to it that i'm usually trying to keep track of our 5 littles while i answer,

i usually stick to a polite, ambiguous answer.

you want to know what i'm really thinking though?

what i really start saying when i have the time to?

DONE?! how could i ever say we are done?

as long as we have more patience & more selflessness to learn...

as long as we feel called to it...

as long as there are 30,000 children dying each day from preventable causes...

as long as we have room in our hearts...

as long as we have a warm home & open arms....
as long as there are over 140 million orphans in the world...
as long as there is even 1 child waiting for their forever family...

as long as we keep trusting that His plan is better than worldly treasures...

we will not be done.