Apparently the other guys are off at the spa or something, and I found out last night that I’m in charge of content this week.
All the DJP-fans are appalled, and all the rest of you (the 2- or 3-dozen who appreciate my personal flavor) are now ready for the fireworks. Because I’m making this post during coffee break this morning, I’ll be brief.
Yesterday during the day my wife got a call from friends of ours who have been in the queue for adoption for years now, and they found out that sometime today they were going to bring home a new member of the family. They needed a place to stay last night, and of course we, being in the town where this new bundle of life and spirit has been given to us by our Provident and Sovereign God, we had a place for them.It made me think about the kinds of blessing God pours out for us in this life. Think about it with me – because this is not a health and prosperity message.
I’m thinking of the kind of blessing God pours out when we give up something we have to someone else. My friends have a nice, stable middle-class life – which is to say, they have it better than about 99.8% of all people who have ever lived. They have stable finances. They don’t miss any meals. They have some great kids already. They have video games and comic books and cable TV. They have a dog.
And what they did last night was to decide that having all that doesn’t really mean anything except in a self-referential way. It doesn’t mean anything except when we look at our own personal ledger books. In one sense, they were just fine, and well-endowed, and they had most of the stuff the needed and a lot of the stuff they wanted.
They decided instead to give up comfort, and give up some of their retirement, and give up stability and give up the balanced check book for someone they never met before – someone who had nothing at all. This little person had no one, and nothing, and didn’t even have a word to say “help me,” with. This little person in fact doesn’t even know what help would look like. So my friends decided to gather up the blessing of coming and giving away what they have so the sake of someone else. They chose grace rather than comfort; they chose love rather than judgment; they chose life rather than mere existence.
I’m at work today, and I wonder if I am doing the same thing, with the same gusto, for the same reasons, when God gives me so much more.
See you tomorrow.
12 comments:
I don't think this is where you were going with this, but it is nonetheless what is on my mind: It is exactly for this that Scripture utilizes the word "adoption" to describe God's outreach to us.
This little person in fact doesn’t even know what help would look like. So my friends decided to gather up the blessing of coming and giving away what they have so the sake of someone else.
How can we read that and not reflect on Romans 5:6? For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
I absolutely love your post. Adoption is so much more than just adding another family member.
Tom --
It's where we go as Christians. The Gospel is completely wrapped up in the act of Adoption.
Having been that "little person" both in real life and spiritually, gave me a very deep appreciation for not only the grace shown to me by my adoptive parents, but most importantly the grace shown to me by Christ.
Frank,
Thank you for this picture of Christians reflecting the grace of God towards others. I hope that we all find an exhortation here to remember, as Tom mentioned, that Christ died for we the ungodly while we were still weak (even enemies of God). As we reflect and meditate upon that, we should also feel exhorted to reflect that same love towards others (who don't even know what help looks like) by serving them and showing them grace, just as God has shown us grace.
word verification: readr...hope I am more of a doer, too
Adopted: someone takes on all of your liabilities and gives you an inheritance.
In my teen years, I happened into the attic where I found bags and boxes of expensive designer clothes and shoes from the 1950s. In a moment, I realized a little of what my penny-pinching, bargain shopping parents had forfeited to be adoptive parents to my sister and me.
Side note: After raising us, my Mom indulged her passion for expensive clothes, shoes, and purses until God called her home. :-D
[Love Robert Warren's definition.]
A very thoughtful post, and brings to mind a lot of the theme of Russell Moore's book "Adopted for Life", that details some of the personal sacrifices throughout his own adoption experiences, and also ties this into the broader theme of our own adoption into Christ through God's love and grace.
When the Father deigns to repeat something to us over and over, such as taking care of the widow and the orphan, then we ought to get a clue of some sort that our Father cares deeply about this.
May He bless your friends who have taken Him at His word and blessed a little one more than they will ever know. They are doing something near and dear to the heart of our Lord.
May their tribe increase exponentially.
Having three adopted children I can truly say that I never think of what we sacrificed or gave up to have them. My only thought is how much they've added to our lives and how much richer we are because of them.
My parents are in their mid-sixties and still taking in Foster kids. They adopted six girls over the years, to add to the three boys they already had. I'm sure whatever plans they had for retirement have long gone out the window...
I always appreciate when adoption gets some good air time. Thanks Frank!
KimK - I agree! We have also adopted 3 children - and really never see ourselves as being God's blessing to them, but rather that they are God's blessing to us.
In recent days, we have been looking into the possibility of embryo adoption - and this post has just encouraged me to press on.
So Thanks
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