21D Fishers – Day 10: Adopted

Welcome to Day 10 and while we are about half-way through 21 Days of Prayer, I have some news that may shake you a little bit.  Please make sure you are sitting down…

You are Adopted!

I’m not sure what your history is with adoption but if you know someone that has adopted or is adopted, it is truly a remarkable process.  I have many people in my life that I have watched go through the adoption process and it still ceases to amaze me.

I met one of my closest friends at the end of her infertility journey.  Her and her husband had been trying to conceive for a few years and they had just started the adoption process.  The first time my friend and I really met, I was actually crashing a baby shower that was being hosted for them as they began the adoption process.  I didn’t really understand the journey that was about to take place but I am honored that I was able to walk through not just 1 adoption, but both of their children’s adoptions.

I remember when they were matched with their birth mom and it was a “right now” situation.  The mom was almost full term and living in a different state.  Just like any first-time expectant parents, they had their bags packed and were ready to go in an instant.  Days came and went and the baby’s due date came and went, but FINALLY!  I remember exactly where I was when I got the phone call they had a son!  I got to watch them become first-time parents and figuring everything out.  Nothing was different than if they had actually given birth.  Even when we went out to the stores together, my friend would get constant compliments about how good she looked after just having a baby.  People even commented about how the baby looked like her.  There definitely is truth in that saying “The longer you know someone, the more you look like them”.

Then a couple years later, she sat me down and told me they were adopting again!  It was just as exciting as if she were physically pregnant.  This time they were going international and adopting a baby/toddler from China.  This time I was on the inside of the process seeing the hurdles and all the steps they had to intentionally go through to bring their baby home.  I saw the tears and the frustration along the way.  They wanted their baby so much!

Much like my friend’s intentional desire to adopt 2 babies as her own, that is how God desires life to be with us.

 

Ephesians 1:5

“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. “

 

From this short scripture and what we know about adoption in general we can see many truths about adoption including:

Adoption is Pursued

            Adoption is a planned-out decision.  This is not something parents decide on a whim.  There are preparations that have to be made and there has to be an understanding of the process.  Just like Ephesians 1:5 states that God decided in advanced, He has been making preparations for us for a very long time very strategically to spend eternity with Him.

Adoption is a Choice.

Parents that adopt make a choice every day through the process to continue on despite the hard days and possible setbacks.  Our Heavenly Father makes a choice every day to love us and to choose relationship with us even though we are not perfect and may sin against Him.

Adoption is a Marathon

Adoptions in real life can take several years of paperwork, house visits, and a lot of waiting.  Waiting for a phone call, e-mail, or that notice that your baby is coming home.  Our Heavenly Father has been waiting for a long time for us to answer His call and to accept His desire to adopt us. From the beginning of time there has been an intentional adoption process our Heavenly Father has been walking through.  He has wanted us to be in relationship with Him for so long and He longs to bring us home with Him to eternity.

Adoption is Permanent

Once an adoption is finalized through the court system, that child is legally and permanently yours.  That child will never be an orphan again and through Jesus Christ, the law was changed.  Our adoption was finalized and we will never be an orphan again.  Our Heavenly Father will take care of all our needs as we are permanently His.

 

I may not know anything about your biological family or even your adopted family in real life, but one thing I want you to know is that you are loved and you are so wanted by our Heavenly Father.  He sees you as His own and through Jesus, we have a greater inheritance than we could ever imagine here on earth.