Dan and I are in California with my family for the next couple weeks helping out with my grandparents and visiting Dan’s grandmother.   Yesterday, we got to go see my brother and his family and my cousin and her family.  It’s always great to be with all of them.

On the topic of adoption…

Since our decision to pursue adoption, I’ve been wanting to know more about adoption in the Bible and God’s heart towards adoption.  I recently read an article about adoption in the Bible and how it is always spoken of favorably. Moses, who went on to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt, was adopted by one of Pharaoh’s daughters.  The beautiful Esther was adopted by her cousin after her parents passed away.  God put her in a position of influence and used her to bring deliverance to the Jewish people.  Jesus, who was super-naturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, was adopted and raised by His earthly father, Joseph.

“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Ephesians 1:4-6

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.'”
Romans 8:15

In and through Jesus Christ, we are adopted by God into His family.  Just as an adoptive family chooses which child to adopt, we are hand-picked and accepted by God to be a part of His family.  This is a concept or attribute of God that I have always known and been blessed by, but I have a feeling that when Dan and I are literally handed a child that is not ours biologically, this attribute of God is going to be more real than ever. We will know what it’s like to instantly love a child unconditionally that isn’t from our blood, to absolutely adore a baby who came from a complete stranger, to see our family embrace a child that we chose, just how the body of Christ embraces each other no matter where or what they came from.  Hopefully, we will have a deeper understanding of God’s unconditionally love for us, and once again be reminded of how deep Jesus’ love it and our security in Him.