Adoption. It’s a beautiful word of how families are knitted together out of difficult situations. Yes, it’s something that is comprised of things both beautiful and wonderful and things difficult and hard.
Today is National Adoption Awareness Day, so rather than writing about what Jeremiah is doing, I wanted to take some time to think about adoption.
Of course we think Jeremiah and his adoption is something wondrous and beautiful. But we also don’t want to forget that the journey to this point has also had its share of difficulties. Jon and I had our hard times as we’ve waited to see how God might answer our prayers for a family. But we also know that Jeremiah’s birthmom had hard times too. We’re very thankful that she chose to give Jeremiah life and that she chose us to be his parents. However, we understand this was not an easy decision for her, though it was born out of a deep, deep love for this little boy and her desire that he have the best life he could possibly have.
I heard a speaker on Family Life Today talk about adoption this week in terms of “grafted into our family.” Jon and I were discussing this last night, and we both really like that image. When a branch of one tree is grafted onto another, it becomes part of that tree. Even though the branch and tree were originally from two different sources, they very quickly become united.
We’re very thankful that Jeremiah has been grafted into our family. And we’re also very thankful that God has chosen to graft us into His family. As Christians, we’re adopted too, in a spiritual sense, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Eph. 1:4–6, NIV). I also really like how J.B. Phillips puts it in his translation of the New Testament: “For consider what he has done—before the foundation of the world he chose us to become, in Christ, his holy and blameless children living within his constant care. He planned, in his purpose of love, that we should be adopted as his own children through Jesus Christ—that we might learn to praise that glorious generosity of his which has made us welcome in the everlasting love he bears towards the Son.”
We’ll be celebrating adoption today as we spend time with Jeremiah and as we thank our Heavenly Father for making us His children.
Today is National Adoption Awareness Day, so rather than writing about what Jeremiah is doing, I wanted to take some time to think about adoption.
Of course we think Jeremiah and his adoption is something wondrous and beautiful. But we also don’t want to forget that the journey to this point has also had its share of difficulties. Jon and I had our hard times as we’ve waited to see how God might answer our prayers for a family. But we also know that Jeremiah’s birthmom had hard times too. We’re very thankful that she chose to give Jeremiah life and that she chose us to be his parents. However, we understand this was not an easy decision for her, though it was born out of a deep, deep love for this little boy and her desire that he have the best life he could possibly have.
I heard a speaker on Family Life Today talk about adoption this week in terms of “grafted into our family.” Jon and I were discussing this last night, and we both really like that image. When a branch of one tree is grafted onto another, it becomes part of that tree. Even though the branch and tree were originally from two different sources, they very quickly become united.
We’re very thankful that Jeremiah has been grafted into our family. And we’re also very thankful that God has chosen to graft us into His family. As Christians, we’re adopted too, in a spiritual sense, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Eph. 1:4–6, NIV). I also really like how J.B. Phillips puts it in his translation of the New Testament: “For consider what he has done—before the foundation of the world he chose us to become, in Christ, his holy and blameless children living within his constant care. He planned, in his purpose of love, that we should be adopted as his own children through Jesus Christ—that we might learn to praise that glorious generosity of his which has made us welcome in the everlasting love he bears towards the Son.”
We’ll be celebrating adoption today as we spend time with Jeremiah and as we thank our Heavenly Father for making us His children.
1 comment:
when you look it's amazing how many people have adopted. Every time I turn around I am being surprised by someone who says, "I was adopted". I'm so glad it's so much more culturally acceptable for us than it was 30 or 40 years ago. You're so right, too, about all of us being part of an adopted family. How can we not take in this little one and love him and pray him up to be all that God has planned for him!
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