In a previous post, I wrote about the price that my parents paid for my adoption. They had to travel half way around the world, live in a foreign war-torn post Communist country, fight the system, and pay for my actual adoption. But beyond that, they willingly and intentionally paid the emotional price. They opened their hearts to two children who in all honesty seemingly had no real future to offer. I was a deathly sick infant not expected to survive who required multiple daily visits from a doctor to keep me alive. My brother was a two year old who couldn't talk, walk, or eat and screamed anytime he was touched - all because of the lack of care he received in the orphanage. We were utterly helpless.
The other day I was talking to my mom about what it was like being presented with this situation after not having had children for 15 years. I made the comment that it was so courageous to say "yes" to choosing us. She kind of looked at me puzzled and said, "Of course we said yes". In her mind, it was an obvious answer. There wasn't any other option. We were helpless and they had come to do this. Why wouldn't they have opened their hearts to us? Why wouldn't they have loved and cared for us - no matter the cost? Her response spoke volumes to me about their truly unconditional love.
CHOSEN
As I listened to her share her thoughts from then, I couldn't help but think about a time in elementary when a kid tried to pick on me for being adopted. They said, "Your mommy doesn't really love you. You're adopted." This might be something that would have really hurt another adopted kid, but I distinctly remember not being the least bit bothered by it. I confidently and proudly said: "Yes she does! My mommy CHOSE me." It was a simple concept to me. The two went hand in hand. I found complete safety in my parents love for me; because, I knew what they had done for me.
Every time we see a verse that tells us that we are chosen, we get to be reminded again of the redemption in our lives. The lies that the world hits us with, all fade away. We get to take comfort in the truth of who our God is.
He is our Father and He loves us.
He willingly and intentionally chose to pay the price for us.
He willingly and intentionally chose to open Himself up to us.
He willingly and intentionally chose to love us.
We don't serve a far off creator who doesn't really care about us.
We serve a mighty and good God who is intimately involved in our lives.
LOVED
As I mentioned above, when my parents adopted us, we really didn't have much to offer. We brought death, illness, and heartache to the table. Without my parents intervention, we had no hope of a future, no hope of love, no hope of family, no hope of life...no hope.
Spiritually speaking, every single person was born this way. Born into a world of death and decay, lacking hope. Each one of us are ladled with a life altering illness- sin. The ultimate price of this illness is death. Every part of our lives is affected by it. And we have no ability to save ourselves from it.
But God, in His goodness, looked upon our helpless state and intervened. He willingly and intentionally chose to pay the price to save us. His death on the cross redeemed us. And not only that, He made us His children. He willingly and intentionally chose to open-heartedly love us so that we may know Him. Our lives are completely transformed because of Him.
"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." -Romans 5:6-8
When we recognize the reality of our situation and God's willful and intentional actions towards us, our confidence is no longer in what we bring to the table. It's solely and completely dependent on our loving, mighty, and good Father. Like the elementary-aged me, who found comfort and safety in the knowledge of my parents love for me, we too have the benefit of experiencing peace in our God's love for us.
So be filled with awe. Be overwhelmed with His love. And go out into this world carrying the hope that He gives His children. It is a glorious thing to get to proclaim that we are Adopted & Redeemed.
The Adopted & Redeemed Blog was born out of a desire to share God's story in my life, and to proclaim His truth for all Christians: through Christ, we have been Adopted and Redeemed.
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-Catrina Hull