Don't Adopt Without It

My last post on adoption talked about how the Gospel and adoption are intricately woven...how if you are a Christian that you yourself have been adopted, and what our amazing adoption as Christians looks like. Then I challenged families to consider whether God would have them, in turn, pursue the adoption of an orphan into their family, making them a son or daughter, just like God has done to them.

But, here's the thing. A huge thing. Something I feel is often "missed" in the correlation between the Gospel and Christian families adopting. You cannot adopt without having God's heart. You simply cannot. God's heart is the forerunner of the Gospel, it is the biggest piece of the Gospel. If you adopt without having a heart like God's, you have the potential to destroy the child you bring into your family.

Yes, adoption is a picture of the Gospel- but we cannot forget that God’s heart is one of fierce love and desire for us, and that fierce love and desire drove Him to rescue us. Children don’t just want to be adopted for all the “right” reasons. They long to be wanted. God didn’t just adopt us. He didn't look on us with pity and take us in. He didn't make a list of all the right reasons and finally "give in." His great love and passion for us drove him to cross life's biggest barrier and make us his sons and daughters.

Dear friends, if you're having trouble with having God's heart for a child that does not have your DNA running through their blood, might I encourage you to spend some time with Jesus...spend some time searching the Bible to read and drink up the great love that God has for you. It's wider and deeper than any of us can ever fully know, and has the power to reach us in depths we never knew we had. Meditate on the Gospel, let it soak into every part of your being, and see all the incredible ways God's love empowers you to love others the way you have been loved.