Lately I’ve been following along Research-China.org blog on child abandonment in China.  The stories are fascinating, but the latest installment brought much sadness as it detailed the death of an infant due to hunger and cold.  It also stirred up a bit of anger in me toward those whose careless and emotional detachment led to a completely avoidable death of an abandoned baby girl.
I must admit that ever since our adoptive daughter Emmaline came home with us we have struggled with various issues such as bonding, physical and emotional problems.  Though our current situation is much improved, occasional frustrations still flare up due to existing issues.  Even though reading the above blog concerning child abandonment stirred up sadness and anger in me, it was probably good for me to be reminded of such disregard for human life, a life that was created in God’s image.  The story caused me to think about Emmaline.  She could have suffered the same fate, but God sought fit to have her with us.  It was God who moved us to adopt through James 1:27:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Without making too many assumptions about the reasons behind child abandonment in China, reading of the above incident helps to remind me that the gospel, and those who live by it, must have a different sort of response altogether toward “inconvenient children”:

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. (Mark 10:13-16)