Our adoption as children of God

"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." Romans 8:23

The adoption process is tough, whether you are waiting to be adopted, the adoptive parents, or a child of God still coming to Him. Even though as believers we are children of God, but still ache to be finally adopted as a child of God in Heaven. We wait for our Father to come pick us up, just as Michael and thousands upon thousands of the fatherless children of the world wait for their Forever Families. Thankfully, each of the "least of these" (Matthew 25:40) is loved and comforted by the Father.

Let's look at the verse from another angle, that of the adoptive parent. In our tiny microcosm dealing with only one child's adoption, we fill out countless and confusing forms, coordinate all the moving parts to prevent delays, and wait helplessly while bureaucrats decide if we are suitable parents for an abandoned child, all the while aching to hold our child and give him a life outside the cold, faceless institution. Our Father is the conductor of an infinite symphony of lives; what I see as the hand of God working in my life, non-believers may see as great luck or serendipity. He has always granted my requests, though not necessarily on my schedule or the method I would prefer, because He loves me more than I can fathom. He makes the sun shine for each of us, yet so many of our neighbors, friends and family have not given their lives to Him and the Son. And yet, He doesn't ever give up on us. He groans for our adoption, waiting for us and showing those who wish to see how much He loves us.

I read Romans 8:23 the other day while studying the Word on patience (of which I have none, but I am working on it!) and started thinking about the words describing our pain as we wait for our adoption as children of God. How painful this must be for the Father as he yearns for us. I know the emotional toll of waiting for our Michael, but cannot begin to understand what God must feel as he waits for millions worldwide to know Him.

God calls each of us to be his hands and feet (Mark 16: 15-16). He has given us unique gifts and resources to do his work and wants us to use them in the adoption of his children. As Christians, we all know the charge. The question is...how? What gift have you been given, and how can you use it for God's glory and purpose? Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God and receive His blessings.

If you are not a Christian, God yearns for you. I can tell you that a part of my heart is waiting to be filled, waiting for the moment my son enters my arms. I only feel a tiny bit of the ache that I believe God feels as he waits for you. I may not have all the answers you need to give your life to God, but I hope to be able to help.

We Wait

Isaiah 43:5 “I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.”

John 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

I have two children.

After we gave up the dream of having a second child a few years ago, I never thought we'd be so blessed.

After all, we have one great kid already. That's so much more than other people can say, and much more than we deserve. She has my personality, my aunt's eyes, and Kevin's dimpled chin. A perfect representation of our blended lives, possessing our strengths and our flaws. She sleeps peacefully amid a pile of stuffed animals in her own bedroom, wrapped in the love of her family and loving Heavenly Father.

Our son sleeps in a room lined with metal cribs filled with hundreds of other abandoned children, half a world away. He has a few caretakers, but they are often busy with the other kids. He owns no toys, and likely has never been rocked to sleep. All alone in a city of millions, he sleeps while we go about our day. Soon, we hope, he will be moved into a smaller family unit environment in preparation to come home. For now, though, he has no idea we are on our way, much less what a family is like. I trust that Jesus is with him, just as He is with us, comforting him as he waits for his life to begin.

Michael's identity will be a complex and evolving web, but God will walk us through. It's hard to explain God's call to someone who's never heard or felt it, but He's asked us to walk this path, so we obey with trusting and glad hearts. Will Michael look in the mirror and see the country who rejected him, or the family that prayed for a son, this son? Will he resent his birth mother, or the family that took him out of China? Who will he be when we bring him home, and what kind of child and eventually man, will he be? We will wait for the answers.

We know so little about this child. What makes him laugh? Can he walk yet? What does he eat? Has he had a corrective procedure on his mouth yet? Is he getting the nutrition he needs to grow? We don't know, and we wait for news.

Today we find ourselves still waiting, not for knowledge of our child but for the approvals to make the journey to China. An document arrived yesterday, and now we are waiting for another letter from China before we can send off the next round of paperwork for his immigration and citizenship. So for now I obsessively check my phone and emails, waiting for the blessed message that the document has arrived at the adoption agency. For now I will stop circling the mailbox, waiting for the mailman to get out of my way! Every day is one long, painful step closer to the day God places my son in my arms.

So for now, we wait.