November is National Adoption Month; a time when we celebrate children being given a forever family through the blessing of adoption. It is a great time to pause and think about the redeeming value of adoption. Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.” (NLT)
 
According to that verse, all Christians were adopted! Some families get to experience this fantastic opportunity in the flesh. While not all of us are called to adopt, we can undoubtedly bring joy to those families that follow the Lord’s leading to open their homes to waiting kids. Adoptive families from all walks of life can benefit from the support of their church, family, and community.
 
November is a wonderful time to gather with others touched by the miracle of adoption and to give thanks for the blessings of adoption. Join us in recognition of this special month! We seek to remember those who are daily blessed by adoption, and those who make adoption possible.
 

For Adoption Month, Start With Prayer

In honor of National Adoption Month, I encourage you to pray for those touched by adoption. Join Lifetime as we lift birth parents, adoptive families, and adoptees in prayer so that they might come together in adoption.
 
Prayer is the foundation of any adoption journey. Pray for birth mothers facing difficult decisions, that they would feel God’s peace and guidance. Pray for adoptive parents as they wait, often through uncertainty and disappointment, trusting in God’s perfect timing. Pray for adoptees as they navigate their unique stories, that they would know they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Pray for social workers, adoption professionals, and foster parents who serve on the front lines. And pray for the children still waiting in hospitals, in temporary homes, in foster care, that God would bring them to their forever families.
 
To help you get inspired, we’re offering a free download with 30 days’ worth of prayer ideas. Get your free download here! We hope that you’ll join Lifetime as we celebrate adoption through prayer! We celebrate the birth mothers who make adoption possible, as well as the adoptive parents who are blessed every day by adoption.
 
As we pray for all those involved in adoption, let us also remember the many paths through which families are formed. One of the most urgent needs in our communities today is for families willing to adopt children from foster care.
 

Understanding Different Adoption Paths

Foster Care Adoption

While infant adoption is one path to parenthood, many children are waiting in foster care for permanent families. These children, often older or part of sibling groups, need loving homes just as much as others.
 
Foster care adoption provides a way to give children who have experienced instability a forever family. The financial barriers are often lower, and in many cases, foster care adoption is free or low-cost. Consider praying about whether God is calling your family to open your home to children waiting in the foster care system.
 

Transracial Adoption Considerations

When families adopt across racial lines, it’s a beautiful demonstration of God’s diverse kingdom. However, transracial adoptive families have additional responsibilities to help their children maintain connections to their birth culture and heritage.
 
This means actively learning about and celebrating your child’s racial and cultural background, providing mirrors in which they can see themselves reflected, and equipping them to navigate a world where they may experience racial bias.
 
Churches and communities can support transracial adoptive families by creating diverse, inclusive environments and educating themselves about the unique needs these families face.
 

Honoring Adoptee Voices and Experiences

As we recognize adoption month, it’s vital to center the voices of adoptees themselves. While adoption is born from love and brings joy, adoptees often describe their experience as complex—filled with both gratitude and grief. Many adoptees navigate questions of identity, belonging, and loss throughout their lives.
 
Adoptees may experience:

• Questions about their origins and birth family
• A sense of loss or grief, even in loving adoptive families
• The challenge of integrating multiple family narratives
• Complex feelings on birthdays and adoption anniversaries

Creating space for adoptees to share their authentic feelings without judgment is essential. Some adoptees describe feeling pressure to be grateful or to minimize any struggles, when what they really need is permission to hold multiple truths at once: they can love their adoptive family deeply while also grieving what they’ve lost.
 

Walking Through Adoption’s Challenges

Adoption is a beautiful journey, but it also comes with unique challenges. Being honest about these challenges doesn’t diminish the blessing of adoption. It equips families to navigate them with grace and preparation.
 
Attachment and Trust: Children who have experienced early trauma, loss, or multiple placements may struggle with attachment. Building secure bonds takes time, patience, and often professional support. Families should be prepared for behaviors that may test their commitment as children learn to trust that this family is forever.
 
Identity Formation: Adopted children often wrestle with questions about who they are and where they come from. Supporting their curiosity about their birth family and origins is healthy and necessary, even when it feels uncomfortable for adoptive parents.
 
Mental Health Support: Many adopted children, particularly those adopted from foster care, have experienced trauma. Access to trauma-informed therapists and adoption-competent mental health professionals is crucial.
 
Open Adoption Dynamics: While open adoption offers many benefits, navigating relationships with birth families requires ongoing communication, boundary-setting, and grace from all parties involved.
 
The Teen Years: Adolescence can bring intensified questions about identity and belonging. Teens may express anger about their adoption or desire increased contact with birth family. These are normal developmental stages, not rejections of their adoptive family.
 
The church community can support adoptive families by offering practical help, providing respite care, connecting families with resources, and simply listening without judgment when things are hard.
 

Adoption Prayer Bracelets

These bracelets are the perfect gift for anyone whom adoption has touched. Wearing an Adoption Prayer Bracelet is a lovely way to celebrate your love for adoption. It can also serve as a reminder to pray for everyone involved in the adoption journey. All proceeds from the sales of Adoption Prayer Bracelets to go the Lifetime Adoption Foundation, a non-profit charity that helps women considering adoption. The Lifetime Adoption Foundation provides this help through scholarships and assistance to those needing basic necessities.
 
Right now, there’s an adoption jewelry promotion running in honor of National Adoption Month. Get FREE shipping on any bracelet style you purchase this month with code SHIPFREE25. Browse our original bracelet style with colorful beads or our modern, minimalist bangle style. Visit AdoptionPrayerBracelet.com to browse for your favorite style and color.
 

Consider a Good Read

There are wonderful books available for adoptive parents and adopted children, too. Asking your local library to display adoption-related books can be a great way to promote adoption in your community. For placing birth parents, the book So I Was Thinking About Adoption… promotes adoption as a positive option. Called to Adoption is packed with information and practical advice for Christian couples interested in adopting. And you can explore some of the best children’s books about adoption right here on our website!
 

Lifetime Adoption

This time gives us an ideal opportunity to recognize adoption as a beautiful and intricate journey that unfolds over a lifetime. Rather than being a singular event, adoption is an ongoing experience filled with questions, challenges, and deeply meaningful moments of love and connection. As adoptive families embark on this path, having a strong support system is essential to help them navigate the ups and downs of their journey.
 
“We were able to get through our adoption process by faith, with the support of our family and friends and guidance from Lifetime,” shared adoptive mom Jessica. “We encourage others to be supportive of those who may be trying to grow their family through adoption. We’ve been motivated and learned from so many people touched by adoption on this journey.”
 
Lifetime Adoption is a licensed child-placing agency and has been a steadfast partner to many adoptive families, offering guidance before, during, and after adoption. Our adoption professionals provide important resources and support, helping families ask the difficult questions, work through unexpected challenges, and build healthy, supportive environments for the children they adopt. With Lifetime, families can feel confident they are not walking the adoption journey alone.
 
Adoption requires lots courage and love from birth mothers who make the selfless and difficult decision to place their children. Their role is often misunderstood, but it is important to honor their strength and the sacrifices they make out of love and hope for their children’s futures.
 

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on November 21, 2021, and has since been updated.