Adoption: Looking at the Options

More than 400,000 children will spend time in foster care this year.

114,000 U.S. children are awaiting adoption.

International Adoption

While international adoptions peaked in 2004, it has seen a steady and sharp decline since. In 2004, over 22,000 international adoptions were completed by Americans. That number fell to just a little over 7,000 in 2013. The blame for this decrease is not on the number of children available. In fact, according to CNN, the numbers of children in Chinese orphanages has risen 50% since 2004.  Rather, changing sentiment and new regulations in the top nations of adoption origin (specifically China and Russia) have made it increasingly more difficult for western families to adopt. To put it in perspective, in 2005, over 14,000 Chinese children were brought home to American adoptive families. That number in 2011 was just over 4,400. (You can read more about it here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/16/world/international-adoption-main-story-decline)

Despite the increasing difficulty facing families pursuing an international adoption, it is still a possibility, and there are some things you should know.

If you are considering international adoption, you will hear references made to The Hague Convention. This convention is a conglomerate of countries that agree to the rules and regulations governing international adoption set down in 1993. These countries work together to ensure adoptions take place in the best interest of both the child and the parents. Currently, there are 76 countries that participate.

In order to adopt internationally, you must file an application with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The application process begins with filling out a form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country. A home study, fingerprints, and other supporting documents are also required. Current U.S. requirements for prospective adoptive families state that you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 25 years old (for unmarried applicants), pass criminal background checks, fingerprinting, and a home study must be accepted. The country you wish to adopt from will have its own regulations as well. For example, some countries permit single parent adoptions, while others only allow dual-parenting. In addition to meeting both the Federal government and the foreign government’s regulations, you will also have to meet the regulations required by your state of residence. It also has unique demands, such as passports for adoptive families and the adopted child, travel expenses, dossier authentication, and more.

In terms of cost, international adoption is by far the most expensive option. Depending on the country you choose to adopt from, costs can range from $11,000 to over $50,000. The average cost for international adoption is $15,000 to $30,000, according to childwellfare.gov. According to Adoptive Families Magazine, the average cost of adopting from China in 2013 was about $35,000. There are organizations that offer adoption grants to qualified families, and many employers also offer funds to employees that adopt. You may also qualify for a Federal Adoption Tax Credit.

The average time frame for an international adoption is 12-18 months, but this can vary widely depending on the country you are adopting from. I have heard of some international adoptions taking as long as three years to complete.

The pros of international adoption are that, with over 6.6 million children available for adoption internationally, you are able to be very specific as far as age, ethnicity, sex, background, etc.  All children available for international adoption are legally free and there is no chance that a birthmother will change her mind. International adoption is the option that gives the adoptive parents the most control.

The cons mainly involve the cost and red tape involved. Adoption costs continue to rise as many countries are making it more difficult to adopt. Many families find that they are simply unable to commit such large sums of money to the adoption of a child. The sad fact is that many foreign countries view their orphans as commodities, rather than as children in need of a loving family. For this reason, many adoptive families find that some counties can be difficult to work with and can delay the adoption process or even halt it altogether.

Domestic Infant Adoption

Domestic Infant Adoption refers to the process in which a birth mother places her unborn baby up for adoption through an adoption agency. The agency then provides her with several profiles of prospective adoptive parents, from which the mother will choose several couples to interview. After the interview process, she will select a couple to adopt her child. That couple will then be involved with the remainder of her pregnancy, and is usually present when the child is born.

To begin this process, a couple should select a reputable adoption agency which will inform them of the necessary paperwork and procedures. Each agency will have different requirements and regulations, with some standard ones relevant to each agency. The couple will usually create a “presentation packet” or family storybook with pictures of the family, their home, friends, and lifestyle. They will also be asked to create a biography detailing their relationship, reasons for adoption, and why they believe they would make the ideal family for the mother’s unborn child. You will also have to comply with the adoption regulations of your state of residence.

Domestic Infant Adoptions cost a little less than International Adoptions. According to Adoptive Family Magazine, the average cost of Domestic Infant Adoption in 2013 was $39,996 through an Agency and $34,093 independently. Again, there are adoption grants available, as well as employer assistance and the possibility of qualifying for the Federal Adoption Tax Credit.

The average timeframe for a D.I.A. is between 12-24 months. This can be much less, or much more depending on how much money the perspective adoptive parents are willing to invest in “advertising”. Some agencies have a mandatory waiting period—the time before they will even allow couples to be presented to birth mothers-- of about 12 months, with some even being as high as 18 or 24 months. The length of time (after the mandatory waiting period) really depends on how long it takes a couple to be chosen by a birth mother.

The biggest pro of Domestic Infant Adoption is that a couple has the chance to bond with their child from the moment it is born. Couples, especially the mother, relish the opportunity to be involved from the very beginning of their child’s life (sometimes, even pre-natal). Also, more information about biological parents is available to the adoptive couple than is usually available with international adoptions.

One con involves the strict qualifications for adoptive families. Whether fair or unfair, limits are often times placed on such things as the couples’ age, income, marital status, etc. Some couples may find that they do not qualify with most—if not all—agencies. Another serious con to D.I.A., is the fact that the birth mother has the right to change her mind about putting her child up for adoption, and when this happens, it is usually within the final stages—just as the baby is about to be born, or even after. There are limitations on how long she has to change her mind, which vary by state. Some states give birth mothers 48 hours after the child is born to change her mind, while some states can give up to six months. This is a scary thought for any adoptive parent, and is why it is so important to choose a reputable agency who has extensive experience in caring for the birth mother’s emotional needs. Once a mother has signed over her rights to her child, and the given grace period has expired, she can never take it back. In addition to the birth-mother’s rights, birth-fathers may also be able to contest the adoption, though the rights for fathers are less generous than they are for mothers. Again, this varies by state. Your adoption agency will be able to tell you what the mandates are on these subjects for your state of residence.

      Fost-Adopt

Fost-Adopt refers to the adoption of children who are in the custody of the Department of Social Services. Children who enter DSS custody become foster children while the department works to iron-out the problems in their birth family. If it is determined that the child will not be able to return to their birth parents, DSS will terminate parental rights, and declare these children legally free for adoption. In order to adopt from DSS, you must attend specialized training and become a state-licensed foster family. Once licensed, a couple will be asked to specify the age, sex, race, and background of children they are willing to adopt.

To begin this process, a couple should contact their local DSS and tell them they are prospective adoptive parents. The couple will then be assigned a social worker with the department who will guide them through the paperwork and licensing procedures.

Adopting a child who is in the custody of DSS is usually done at little or no cost to the adoptive family. Most expenses are covered by agency who has custody of the child. Our own daughter, Isabella, was adopted through DSS, and all that came out of our pocket was $30, which was even refunded to us later. In addition, if you adopt through DSS you qualify for the Federal Adoption Tax Credit that was discussed before.

There are three “paths” that can be taken when adopting through DSS. The first path is fostering with the intent to adopt. In this case, a couple agrees to take a child into their home with the understanding that DSS is still attempting to rectify the birth family’s issues. This is a somewhat risky scenario, as chances are equally good that the child will be returned to his birth parents as that he will become legally free for adoption. The benefit to this option is that, especially in the case of younger children, the current foster family is usually the first choice for adoption, since they are already bonded. This option is the quickest way to receive a placement. I know a couple who chose this scenario, and they had an 18 month old placed with them within two months of receiving their foster license. They later adopted the child. In the case of younger children (namely, those under 2) DSS sets a timeframe of one year to determine whether the child will be returned to birth parents or free for adoption. This guideline was laid down as an attempt to keep children from “growing-up” in foster care while DSS and birthparents go back and forth with each other.

The second path is legal risk fostering. In this type of fostering, the foster family says that they will only accept children who are in the process of becoming legally free for adoption. In this case, DSS has determined that re-unification is not a possibility, and has taken steps to terminate parental rights. This process can be drawn out by several months if the birth parents are uncooperative. During that time, the child may be placed with the family who has been identified as potential adoptive parents.

The third path is adoption-only. This means that a couple is unwilling to receive any child who is not legally-free for adoption. This option will usually result in the longest wait times. As stated before, many children who become legally free are subsequently adopted by their foster family. DSS will still accept profiles on other families for these children, but the foster family is given first priority for obvious reasons. This was the option we choose when we adopted our daughter. As we had no other children, we decided that we would not be emotionally able to handle the risk of fostering to adopt. It was 18 months from the time we received our license to the time Isabella was placed with us. This option is ideal for those who are willing to adopt an older child (5 and up), as there are so many who are legally free, and awaiting adoptive parents right now.

The pros of Fost-Adopting are, number one, the affordability, and second, the speed at which a couple can receive a child into their home. In addition, there is only one agency to be dealt with—DSS—rather than two or three as is possible with International or Domestic Infant Adoptions. It should be noted, however, that some private agencies also offer fost-adopt programs. In this case, the agency would assign you their own social worker, and they would deal directly with DSS instead of you.

The cons would mainly involve the risks. With foster to adopt and legal risk fostering, there is the chance that you may end up with a broken heart. While you, and everyone else in the child’s life surely want the best for him, it is sometimes difficult to accept that you may not be the chosen option. Some fost-adopt families end up feeling like a yo-yo, caught in between birth parents and DSS. It is important for all foster families to remember that their number one responsibility in everything is to ensure that the child—who is the real victim—experiences true, unconditional love and support while he is with them—whether for only a few months, or forever.

Adoption is a big step in a couples’ life. It is one that you and your husband should discuss and explore thoroughly, determining which option is best for your family. It is important to remember, no matter which option you choose, that at the center of it all is a child who desperately needs to be loved, cherished, and protected—a child who was created by God to be nurtured, and who holds a special place in His heart.

Adoption: Debunking the Myths

“God places the lonely in families.”

Psalm 68:6

 Adoption is giving up or displaying a lack of faith.

This is simply not the case. Choosing to adopt is not saying that you have given up on your desire to conceive, or that you feel God is not able to provide for you. Adoption should not a “plan B” for infertile couples. Deciding to open your home and heart to a child who does not have your genetics should never be viewed as a last resort. If you believe that God has a perfect plan for your life, then you must also believe that if He places a child with you for adoption, it is His “plan A”, His best. To say that an adopted child is not the ideal choice for your family is to say that that child is somehow unworthy of your love and of little value as a human being. You know how God would respond to such an assertion.

Adoption is a magic cure to infertility.

It is a common myth that adoption leads to pregnancy, but the facts are that only 4% of adoptive parents go on to conceive a biological child. I can’t tell you how many times I heard “you know what will happen if you adopt… you’ll get pregnant”.  The statement didn’t bother me so much before we adopted our first daughter, but afterwards, I found it hard to swallow. It felt as though they were implying that she was nothing more than another fertility treatment… a way to get what I really wanted. I know they didn’t mean it that way, but to think of my precious little girl in such terms made my maternal heart ache. She wasn’t a means to an end, she was the end.

 Adoption is too expensive.

In the early stages of considering adoption, I became discouraged by what I heard was the typical cost. Statistics for 2014 show that the average cost of a domestic newborn adoption was estimated at around $30,000. International adoptions range from $24,000 to $53,000. Those are staggering and daunting figures for any couple already investing in the expense of infertility treatments. We wanted to adopt, but couldn’t imagine starting a family with such a debilitating debt. I was so discouraged… it seemed children were denied me everywhere I looked. Then, one day, I noticed a billboard for a local adoption agency. I ignored it at first, thinking they would be as expensive as all the others I had looked at, but the ad kept coming to my mind until one day I finally pulled up the agency’s web site. I was filled with hope and excitement when I read that it was possible to adopt at no cost through the Department of Social Services! Two years later, we finalized our daughter’s adoption for only $30 out of our pocket… which was even refunded to us later.  We will talk more about adopting through DSS later on.

 I can’t love an adopted child like I could love a biological one.

All you have to do is ask an adoptive parent and they will tell you that this is absolutely untrue! When God places a child with you, He has taken care to prepare a special place in your heart that only that child can fill. You may not even be aware of its existence yet, but the moment you lay eyes on that child, or hold it in your arms for the first time, you will wonder how you ever wanted anything else. The first time I saw my baby girl was a moment that will be etched in my memory until I die. It was one of the most precious moments of my life. From that time on, she has never been anything but my own. I have a similar moment with my second daughter. I often tell people (and my girls) that God created them just for us… that they were always intended to be mine, God just allowed another woman to carry her for me. God can create a family through birth or adoption, but either way He makes it His business to knit together all hearts involved.

 An adopted child will not bond with me like a

biological child.

While it is true that some children (mainly older children who have been through extreme circumstances) will have difficulty bonding with their adoptive family, most children will not. Children, like all human beings, respond to feelings of love and acceptance with attachment to those displaying them. Adopted children don’t need or want your love any less than your biological children would. As I said above, when God chooses a child for your family, He not only creates a place for them in your heart, but He creates one for you in theirs. 

Paul understood the bonding that occurs between a child and his adopted parents. The term “Abba” as it applies to God is equal to our term “Daddy”, and is one of the most personal and endearing terms we have for our Heavenly Father. Every time Paul used this term, it was in the context of our adoption as His children, symbolizing the deep bond that is created between adoptive parents and their children.
 

 Adopted children have psychological issues.

While it is true that some adopted children may suffer the effects of their previous experiences in such forms as anxiety, depression, or behavioral problems, the idea that all, or even most adopted children come with serious and devastating psychological issues is simply false. This myth is largely due to a misrepresentation of adoption by television and the media. Everyone has heard some horror stories about adopted children poisoning their adoptive families, or some equally disturbing tale. I know some people tried to discourage me with such stories when we decided to adopt. Studies have shown that adopted children are no more at risk for mental health issues than biological children. It’s only that the “bad apples”, so to speak, seem more sensational when they were brought into a family by choice, probably due to a mistaken view that adopted children should consider themselves lucky to have been adopted at all. For a Christian this fear should be cast out with all others. First, because God’s will for us is always for our good, and second because we have the power of prayer. From the moment we decided to pursue adoption, we began to pray for the child we would be blessed with. I know those prayers availed much. 

Our youngest daughter does deal with anxiety and compulsive behaviors as a result of her past experiences, but it doesn't make us love her any less. If anything, she needs us more, to help erase the fear of the past and teach her what it means to live a life of love! You too, if you are considering adopting, should begin praying now for your soon-to-be child and your prayers will not fall on deaf or incapable ears.

 The birth mother can take back her child whenever she wishes.

Twenty years ago, the laws governing adoptions tended to be more favorable to birth mothers, and as a result, some heartbreaking and disquieting cases occurred in which adoptive parents lost their children to birth parents. Realizing this was not only detrimental to the child’s well-being, but also served to discourage adoption, the laws were reformed. The current laws give birth mothers ten business days after they sign a waiver of parental rights to rescind their decision. In the case of a child awaiting adoption through DSS, parental rights have already been terminated. In either case, once parental rights have been legally terminated, the birth parents no longer have any legal rights to that child and cannot reclaim him at any point. 

 I’ll always dread my child finding out she’s adopted and searching for her birth parents.

Most adoption experts today advocate open communication with your children about their adoption. A child who spends most of his early years believing he is a biological child will have to adjust when told later on that he is in fact adopted. They have found that children who understand their exceptional circumstances early on have little to no difficulty accepting it as adolescents. In our own case, we pray for our daughters' birth mothers every night, and openly discuss their adoption on a regular basis. We have also prepared a “Life Book” for our girls, detailing in photo and word their journey before they came to us from their birth mothers and previous foster parents. We are creating an environment where the fact of their adoption and past history is just a natural a part of who they are, and something to be celebrated, as it reflects our own adoption into God's family.

When it comes to an adopted child’s search for their birth parents, I imagine most adoptive parent’s fears come from the idea that they will love them more. Ask any adult adoptee who has found their birthparents, and I think it would be nearly impossible to find one who feels more bonded with them than they do with the parents who so lovingly raised and sacrificed for them. The desire to know “where we come from” is a natural one and not to be feared. Most studies find that children simply want to know who their birth parents are, what they look like, etc, and aren’t looking for a replacement for their adoptive parents. Some carry on a relationship with them and some never communicate with them again, but their “real” parents are always the ones who have invested their lives in them.

My family won’t accept an adopted child.

This isn’t an unrealistic fear, but one that usually resolves itself. We faced opposition from our own family when they discovered we wanted to adopt. Comments like “don’t you want children of your own”, “you don’t know where they’ve come from”, “so-and-so knows someone who adopted and their kid ended being a nightmare”, and just simply “why would you want to do that” took us by surprise from those we most expected to support us. Scowls and frowns accompanied them, and, though disappointed by their attitude, we were so certain adoption was God’s plan for us that we weren’t daunted. We told them, gently yet firmly, that we were going to adopt, with or without their support. Between ourselves, my husband and I were prepared to do whatever was necessary for the welfare of our child, even if it meant severing ties with them. My mother wisely kept telling me that they would change their opinion once they saw the child, and that’s exactly what happened. The moment they saw that precious little girl, and how much we loved her, their hearts melted and she is now as cherished by them as if she came from my own womb. Once our second daughter came along, she was accepted as naturally as any birth-child.

God made me infertile so I would adopt a child.

While God reveres the act of adoption, He did not inflict infertility upon you so that you would adopt. What He does do is take the effects of sin and turn them into something beautiful. Children are a gift from God, however He chooses to give them. They all belong to Him, He only allows us the great privilege to raise them. Infertility is a result of sin, just as our separation from God was a result of sin. The act of adoption turns the woman devastated by infertility into a “happy mother of children”. It is God’s goodness triumphing over the evils of the world.

Adoption: God's Persepective

Adoption: God’s Perspective

"Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on My behalf welcomes Me, and anyone who welcomes Me welcomes not only Me but also My Father who sent Me."

Mark 9:37

Adoption displays God’s heart for the “fatherless”.

Throughout the scriptures, God displays a tender care and firm defense of those most helpless in society—widows and orphans. We tend to think of orphans as they were an hundred years ago… children of deceased parents left to drift through the world on their own, or spend their childhood in an orphanage. While most children available for adoption today have living biological parents, they are no less orphans than those whose have lost their parents to death. Any child who is without a capable, willing, or loving adult to parent them is considered an orphan in God’s eyes, and under His divine protection. Although widows today are much more secure than they were in biblical times, children are as helpless and defenseless as they were then, and as much in need of honest, loving people to care for them. Take a look at the following scriptures and notice how passionately God cares about these children.

"You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.”
Exodus 22:22-24

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
James 1:27

“He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice.”
Deuteronomy 10:18

“Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy.”
Psalm 68:5

“…don't take the land of defenseless orphans. For their Redeemer is strong; He Himself will bring their charges against you.”
Proverbs 23:10-11

Adoption exemplifies the covenant Christians have with God.

When God made His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17, it applied only to the “seed of Abraham”, namely, the Jews. God promised that they would be His own and that He would care for them and their descendants forever. God looked down on the “orphaned” Gentiles, left without a Heavenly Father to care for them, and had compassion. He sent Jesus to pay the “adoption fee” so that He could bring them into His family. Now, anyone who believes on Jesus is a child of Abraham, and heir to the covenant of God. God adopted us into His family when we accepted His offer.

“The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.”
Galatians 3:7-9

“And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you.”
Galatians 3:29

Roman law stated that a man could lawfully disown his natural born children, but could never disown his adopted ones. Adoption was a more permanent bond between parent and child than physically creating that child was. The bond that God created with us when He adopted us as His own is just as permanent. He will never disown us, though we can choose to disown Him.

Adoption is a beautiful picture of the love God has shown us.

To love that which was once considered “unloved” is the very nature of God. He loved and desired us, helpless and hopeless as we are, so much that He was willing to move heaven and earth to call us His own.

“Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, ’Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.’ And, ‘Then, at the place where they were told, “You are not my people,” there they will be called “children of the living God.”’"

Romans 9:25

The end of the above verse is a strong spiritual display of the physical act of adoption. “At the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people…’ what a powerful picture of a child in need of adoption. They have been told by the world, possibly even by their own parents, that they belong to no one, and have no value, but, just as God did for us, an adoptive parent steps up and says “no, that is not true, you belong to me… you are my child, and I love you”. He took those who were not His own and made them so.

“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. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”
Ephesians 1:5-7

Adoption represents the new life we have in Christ.

While once we lived hopeless and rejected, we now have the glorious privilege of being called “sons of God”. We have been given a new life in Christ—a life entitled to all the privileges of a child of God and the rights as His heirs. We have a life distinguished by justification and grace, and characterized by acceptance and unconditional love.

“But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
John 1:12-13

 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance.”
1 Peter 1:3-4

“For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.”
1 Peter 1:23

“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of His grace He declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life."
Titus 3:6-7

Adoption has been used in the Bible to fulfill God’s plan.

Several characters in the Bible were products of adoption, providing us with a biblical example and godly perspective of God’s plan at work through adoption.

The first example of adoption is in the life of Moses. In order to save his life, Moses’ mother was forced to relinquish him to the care of Pharaoh’s daughter, who, moved with compassion by the plight of the three month old, adopted him as her own child, bestowing on him the rights of a prince of Egypt. Through this adoption, Moses was prepared by God to lead the Israelite people out of captivity. The education and leadership skills he gained by his time in the palace surpassed those he would have received with his Israelite family, and undoubtedly played a role in his ability to lead the Israelites for so many years with wisdom and justice.

Samuel was adopted by Eli the priest. We know this to be the case because Elkhanah, Samuel’s biological father, was not a member of the lineage of Aaron, a necessary qualification to become a priest. The fact that Samuel did eventually serve as priest meant that he musts have come into the line of Aaron by being adopted by Eli. Samuel’s position as priest was mightily used by God in the life of Kings Saul and David, as well as the lives of the Israelite people.

Another beautiful example of adoption was in the story of Hosea and the children of Gomer. Gomer was a prostitute who had several illegitimate children. God told the prophet Hosea to marry Gomer and adopt her children as his own, as a symbol of both Israel’s unfaithfulness to God and God’s unconditional love for His people.

Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul, was adopted by King David. Mephibosheth’s father was Jonathan, David’s closest friend. When Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle, Mephibosheth was just a young child. His nurse, fearing that David would put to death all the surviving members of Saul’s household, fled with the child, but in her haste, she dropped him, leaving him permanently crippled in both feet.  David later searched for descendants of Jonathan and was told of Mephibosheth’s existence. David sent for the young man and adopted him, giving him a royal inheritance and granting him all the rights of one of the king’s sons. God displays to us in this story His habit of taking those who seem broken and undesirable and making them complete in Him.

Jesus Himself was adopted. He was not Joseph’s flesh and blood, but he adopted Him as his own, fulfilling the long established plan that the Savior would be a descendant of David, making His kingship legitimate. It is true that Mary was also in the line of David, but traditional lineage was traced through the father, and not the mother. The fact that Joseph was willing to adopt Jesus made Him an indisputable member of the house of David. Adoption was God’s plan for His own Son in His quest to redeem the world.