Over the last ten years or so I have been changing. My eyes have been opened a bit more as I’ve
been exposed first-hand to more of the world outside my comfortable bubble than
ever before. Curiosity has made me an
open-minded student. No longer do I
believe ideas or take sides to an argument based on what someone says. I like to research things myself more
thoroughly.
Change can be very exciting.
It can be refreshing. It can be
an adventure. Good choices can result in
change that causes better quality of life and happiness. The pursuit for change drives people to
better themselves physically and to go the extra mile to succeed.
There is also an ugly side to change. Change hurts.
It’s unfamiliar. It sometimes causes
doubt and easy discouragement. A lot of
change can be very bad. Many people seek to bring change into their lives
believing “the grass is greener on the other side.” Every choice in life ushers
in more change. Not all change is even
the result of a conscious choice. Life’s circumstances or superiors may decide
upon change.
Our nation voted for “change” when President Obama was
running for election. He has definitely
brought about change. I’d argue our
nation has changed more under his leadership than any other president before
him. One great change was when he passed
into tax law the Adoption Tax credit.
Our family has qualified for this tax credit for our International
adoption and it’s definitely helped us out a lot with the expenses for our son. I know many adopting families have utilized
this tax credit and it has made adoption more attainable for them.
One change I’m not so sure about is with our border controls. I am not on one side of the debate or the
other. I’ve read the debate of the Left
and I’ve read the debate of the Right. It’s
a sensitive debate and I’m not even sure what the right answer is even with all
the reading and research I’ve done.
On one hand I know I brought our son into the States legally. We filed legal paperwork with USCIS. We had to be fingerprinted. We had to stand in long lines. This legal process was very expensive and time
consuming. It was one of the many
reasons it took our adoptions so long. It was why I was held up waiting in
Ukraine on at least one occasion. I know
how much having our son home now costs us to feed, give health care to and he’s
a very healthy boy with no diseases. I
know how much he costs the public school system to get him up to par with his
English. He is just ONE boy. I read that more than 60,000 minors have
already entered our country’s borders illegally since 2014 began and thousands
are still flooding in every month. Laws and the constitution are in place and have been in place for a very good reason: You have to draw the line somewhere. Everyone cannot come to America. Taking care of illegal immigrants
is very expensive for a nation that is already in trillion dollar debt. I won't even get into the discussion about the diseases coming in through illegal aliens.
On the other hand I’ve been to several third world countries. I’ve seen the poverty. I’ve walked among the raw sewage that runs
down their streets. I’ve read about the civil wars in their
countries. I’ve watched the videos and
documentaries of young girls being gang raped and the young boys forced into
violence and war at an age younger even than my own son. I’ve seen the pain in the eyes of the parents
who simply want to provide for their children and desire for their kids to be
safe, just as you or I want our children to be safe. I am moved to compassion to care for the poor
and especially the children. I can’t imagine coldly rejecting sickly children
who have spent months traveling to the borders. I’ve looked into the delicate eyes of small
children who long for a better life in America.
It’s heart breaking to not be able to help all the needy children of the
world.
I’m perplexed and I’m puzzled and I can’t help but wonder
these things: Is the change in America
that we are currently experiencing dragging us down the path to becoming
exactly the kind of nation these children are running from? Are we setting ourselves up financially and
spiritually for an incredible fall? I
don’t know what it is, but after all the research I have completed I feel we are
becoming increasingly vulnerable to destruction. We definitely need change: Our nation needs a
healthy fear of God. The better question is HOW
will our nation ever turn back to Him?
“Therefore, my beloved
brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” I Corinthians 15:58
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| US Embassy in Ukraine where we finished legally getting our son citizenship |
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