Parents Say “Goodbye to their 11-year Son and Put Him Up for Adoption

Imagine you’re 11 years old and your parents just told you they were giving you up for adoption because they couldn’t afford to feed you and your other two siblings?

How would you feel if you learned that there was one too many members in the family...and you were “the one?”

What would you do, how would you respond if, while being embraced tightly by your grandmother, you heard her say to you, “Be tough. I am sorry you have to go.”

From the bottom of my heart I wish this was a hypothetical situation but it isn’t. It’s the second story I read this week that brought tears to my eyes (I’ll share the other one another time). This really happened to an 11-year old boy named Ahri in Jakarta, Indonesia, whose chin quivered and dark eyes filled with uncontrollable tears when he discovered his future.

I just have to tell you—and I won’t even apologize if this makes me look unenlightened or metaphysically challenged—but I hate living in a world where a mom and dad have to give up a child because they don’t have enough money to feed all of their children! What’s wrong with this picture? This isn’t right OR normal.

Ahri’s parents took him to live in an orphanage. Can you imagine the profound inner turmoil of having to do such a thing? Wiping away her own tears, his mother said, “I am not throwing my child away. I just want him to get a proper education. I hope that one day he’ll do something useful for this country and help his brothers, because we are living in poverty.”

The family lives crammed inside a 17 x 17 foot home in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Jakarta. Nuraini runs a small shop the family opened to try to make ends meet. Ahri’s father, Joni Lubis, collects bottles from the streets, selling them to plastic and glass factories.

Ahri’s parents make $2 to $3 a day, half of which goes toward their daily rent. With the increased cost of living, what’s left isn’t enough to send Ahri to school and to feed him and his two brothers, 3-year-old Mohammed and 7-month-old Eka Jaya.

Speaking of the situation, Ahri’s mother says, “I never imagined it would come to this.” Who would? Does any mom or dad ever think they might have to give up their child one day because of a lack of money to feed it?

This isn’t a devotional on the state of living in Indonesia, but just so you know, here are some quick stats that fill out the picture:

-- Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation.
-- It has more orphanages than any other country.
-- 80% of children in child care institutions have both their parents, according to the most recent survey conducted in 2006 by the Indonesian government.
-- This year, orphanages are reporting even higher number of parents giving up their children because they can no longer afford to feed them or send them to school.
-- In the past year, the cost of living increased beyond many people’s reach. In May, a 30 percent fuel hike set off countrywide protests.

I am reminded that I don’t really have any problems living here in America (speaking for myself personally because there are people in America who are having severe problems).

Back to Ahri…

...He gazes intently as his mother signs off custody of him to the orphanage; and then he leaves the place he’s ever known as home to enter a world he never imagined he’d find himself in.

His parents make these conclusions:

“If my son can adapt, then I am happy,” says Ahri’s father, Joni Lubis. “I can see that it’s calm and peaceful here. That makes me happy. So does the school—my son can be educated.”

Nuraini adds, “There has to be a better chance for my two other sons.”

There is no happy ending to this story. As a father myself, I can’t imagine having to make this kind of decision. Maybe it’s me being a little too emotional I’m not sure, but I’m feeling just a little jaded about the Law of Attraction, and the sugar-coated consumerism contained in The Secret.

Now I know, being a life-long student of the Bible and trained professionally with a degree in Religion and a Master of Divinity along with a minor in biblical languages, that a biblical case might be made that these “laws” exist—but that’s not the point, here. The point is, while we’re trying to create our dream life, there can be no denying that this world is a living hell for many of the people living in it—and it’s not an existence that they attracted unto themselves!

Jesus said in Matthew 25:35-45,

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”

How does that statement from Jesus make you feel? How does it affect you?

Wealth-building and stewardship are important principles to master in our spiritual growth. The spiritual teachings that I see promoted in the popular channels today, though, seem steeped in selfishness and personal gain at all costs or by sticking our heads in the sand ignoring the larger needs of people throughout the world who are hurting profoundly.

Now, this is the part where I’m supposed to get all practical by giving you two or three ways of what you can do next to help...but I’m not going to.

All I ask is for you to spend a few minutes with God in prayer asking Him how He wants YOU to make a difference in this world and what He wants you to do next.

All I can say is that we are part of the solution, absolutely, but we’re not the ENTIRE solution. There is a God (even though it doesn’t look it sometimes) and He’s called us to do His work on earth to make this world a better place for people everywhere until the day of Christ’s return when love and love alone will be established permanently and rule forever.

Love is the “better chance” that Ahri’s mom was talking about. How can you and I fill the world with more of God’s love today?

Dedicated to Your Spiritual Freedom,

Lynell

PS—I invite you to join the conversation by leaving your comment below.

June 28, 2008 | Permalink | del.icio.us | StumbleUpon | | |