We need to look less to the computer for answers...

We need to look less to the computers and look more up. This is a realization I have come to today. A hard one because I was a child/teenager when computers took off. My generation lives on the computer, we look for answers on the computer, we communicate on the computer. Besides the fact the the computer is lessening the depth of our relationships (that's a whole other post)...the computer makes us look to God less and less for answers.

I realized this as I joined a Ethiopia adoption yahoo group so I could hear other parents stories, know what bumps they have encountered and so on. I probably joined at a really bad time with all the accusations flying and all the country changes going on right now. Or, maybe some people are always like this.

Instead of feeling full of information, feeling encouraged, I was shocked by the doomsday attitude some are taking and the pointing fingers that is happening all over this group. They are scared that the country will shut down completely, some have been burned by other countries or agencies and have become cynics. Some were very kind and uplifting, but it did little to lighten the heaviness of my heart.

Then came a link to an Australian News Article with the note to check out some of the comments at the bottom. I'm not sure I read why she suggested it, but I went to the article and found a one sided news piece with the same accusations as I have read in the past couple weeks. But was so disheartening was the comments. I was simply shocked that people could be so uncaring and selfish.

2 Tim. 3:2

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy....

I saw this in the comments after the article. I saw it when people closed their eyes and thought people were cruel for not adopting an Australian child, but instead adopting an orphan in Africa "taking them away" from their culture and lifestyle. I saw this when I woman said this :

"I find the whole notion of rich (relative to Ethiopians) westerners paying buckets of money to purchase a child to meet their own needs repugnant. Imagine how many children an infertile couple could save with the money for 100s of children in Ethiopia itself rather than justify their own desires by suggesting they are saving a child.

I was devastated to discover I was infertile but life sucks and not everyone can have children. Get over it. Buying and removing children from developing countries to meet our personal needs is plain wrong."

And then I realized, I need God to fill this empty spot more than I need information, more than I need to hear it from others who have gone before me, more than I need to read others opinions.

Please don't misunderstand, online support groups and being informed are both important in this process. We know we can't go into the adoption (and especially the international arena) with our eyes closed and without knowledge. But, what I am saying, the internet is such a great tool for Satan and it's so easy to plunk in front of the keyboard and forget that I have an all knowing and loving Father who would love to show me the way and guide me in this journey.

So I banned myself from the computer that night, and I changed my settings to only "view on the web" for that group and I prayed God would be with those who have such a negative outlook on life.

For me, I plan on doing a little more praying before I start googling.