What Love Owes the Child
Children are not a prize for adults. They are a heritage from the Lord.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” (Psalm 127:3)
When we speak about adoption, we are speaking about one of the most solemn trusts a society can give: the care of a child who cannot choose the home that will form them. Scripture does not treat that trust lightly. God defends the fatherless. He calls His people to look after orphans in their distress. He warns that it would be better to have a millstone hung around the neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. (Psalm 68:5; James 1:27; Matthew 18:6)
That is why this conviction belongs at the centre of any Christian word on the subject:
Adoption decisions should be individualized, evidence-based, and biased toward the child’s need for stability and truth rather than the adult’s need for affirmation. Gender dysphoria and transition are not automatically disqualifying, but they are not automatically irrelevant either. They are risk factors that a competent evaluator is allowed to weigh, the same way evaluators already weigh other psychiatric and lifestyle factors.
This is not a statement about anyone’s worth. Every human being—without exception—bears the image of God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Dignity is not earned by passing a home study. It is given by the Creator. Love of neighbour requires that we refuse cruelty, mockery, and contempt.
Dignity, however, is not the same thing as an unrestricted claim on a child. Adoption exists because some children need a safe, stable, truthful home. The question is never “What is this adult entitled to feel?” The question is “What does this child need in order to flourish?”
Scripture gives us the posture for that question.
Love that seeks what is best
Paul prays “that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent.” (Philippians 1:9–10) Love without discernment is sentiment. Discernment without love is hardness. The church is called to both.
Truth spoken in love
“Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
A child is owed a home where reality is not treated as optional. That includes the created givenness of the body. It also includes honesty about an adult’s own struggles, so that a child’s life is not asked to carry an adult’s unresolved pain.
Wisdom, not slogans
“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.” (Proverbs 4:7)
“Test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24)
Right judgment looks at a person’s character, stability, history, and capacity to put a child first. It does not rubber-stamp a category, and it does not ban a category. It asks for fruit. “You will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)
A refuge, not confusion
“God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)
“In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.” (Proverbs 14:26)
Children need refuge. They need adults who are self-controlled, truthful, and steady enough to carry another person’s life without using that life to prove a point.
The fatherless first
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless.” (Isaiah 1:17)
“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.” (James 1:27)
Pure religion does not begin with the adult’s desire to be seen as a parent. It begins with the child who has already lost something. That is why the standard must be high for everyone who asks to stand in a parent’s place—and why the standard must be the same for everyone. Mental and emotional stability, a safe and consistent home, the capacity to put the child’s needs first, healthy relationships, no history of abuse, and an honest look at whether a person is prepared for the long, ordinary work of raising a child. These are not weapons. They are acts of care.
If we keep the child at the centre, we can honour the image of God in every adult and still refuse to treat a vulnerable child as an accessory to anyone’s identity. That is not hatred. That is the shape of love that Scripture commends: patient, truthful, protective, and willing to be misunderstood if the little ones are kept safe.
May the Lord give His people wisdom, gentleness, and courage to will the good of the child.
The Music “Heritage” – The Lyrics
Artist: Treasured Heart · Gospel blues rock
Writer: Jaxson R. Harlan
Intro
(E7 – A7 – E7 – B7)
Verse 1
I was raised where the gravel sings
And the evening takes its time
Hay on the flatbed, fence to mend
A cross still standing on the rise
Some folks talk like a child is owed
To the hunger in a grown-up chest
But the Word don’t deal in trophies, friend
It starts with the ones who need rest
Chorus
Heritage from the Lord
Not a prize you win, not a flag you raise
Give ’em truth, give ’em steady ground
Love that tells it straight and stays
Heritage from the Lord
Hold that life like gold
Every child is a soul He knows
Put the little one first this time
Verse 2
James said visit the fatherless
In the trouble of their days
Not to dress an adult longing up
And call the dressing grace
Look at the fruit, look at the home
Look at the hands that stay
A refuge built on what is true
Not the story we want to say
Chorus
Heritage from the Lord
Not a prize you win, not a flag you raise
Give ’em truth, give ’em steady ground
Love that tells it straight and stays
Heritage from the Lord
Hold that life like gold
Every child is a soul He knows
Put the little one first this time
Bridge
Made in His image — every one
That’s a holy, heavy thing
Dignity don’t mean a blank cheque
On a life that cannot speak
So pray for wisdom, pray for peace
Pray we never trade the child
For the comfort of a grown-up dream
Leave the millstone on the side
Final chorus
Heritage from the Lord
Not a prize you win, not a flag you raise
Give ’em truth, give ’em steady ground
Love that tells it straight and stays
Heritage — Psalm in the bone
James in the work of our hands
Let the little children come to Him
That’s the Father’s plan
Tag
Heritage from the Lord…
Hold that life like gold…