Happy Adoption Day!!!

Today is a special day of celebration in our household. It is our daughter’s adoption day and each year we celebrate the day that she came to live with us. Adoption day involves a special home made hat that she wears all day and it also involve a special home made giant adoption cookie that we enjoy (and I mean really enjoy) together.

My daughters are both adopted and this is why I never mention their names or have their photographs on my blog. I also have two birth children but I love them all the same. Whether my children were born into or adopted into my family makes no difference to the way I love, accept, provide and care for them.

God wants to adopt us into his family.

¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (Romans 8)

A child in the care system is likely to feel vulnerable and possibly afraid. They know that people are being paid to care for them but there are no guarantees that any foster placement will last a long time.

Did you know that ‘in the year ending 31 March 2013, a total of 68,110 children were looked after by local authorities in England, a rate of 60 per 10,000 children under 18 years’ (source).

These children have had some difficult starts in life and the things that they have seen and been through will stay with them for life. Our daughter will still try and hide in a corner, or in a box or cupboard if she can, when she feels afraid or threatened. God doesn’t want us to be afraid, he wants us to feel safe and secure in his family. God does not treat us as slaves or servants who can be hired and fired, instead we become members of His family. We become his ‘forever children’ to use language common in adoption circles.

‘Abba Father’ literally means dad. It is speaking of a loving relationship with a loving dad, not a cold relationship with a distant father. It is a wonderful thing to be reminded of God’s great and unconditional love. Sadly I am going to be away from home this afternoon and evening but my daughter knows she is loved even though I can’t be with her for the whole of her special day. God is with us always and his loving presence is always with us.

When we are adopted, we become heirs. In the famous fairy tale, Cinderella’s stepmother mistreated Cinderella, treating her like a slave rather than a daughter. In contrast, God chooses to honour us as he promises his adopted children an inheritance that involves living with him forever.

Being adopted into the family of the King of the universe is quite a privilege but being in it can often lead to suffering and many Christians know what it is to be mocked, ridiculed or even sometimes persecuted for their faith. I am willing to put up for some suffering for the sake of my Lord Jesus because following him is worth more than anything else in the universe.

God longs to adopt us into his family but will we accept his offer receiving his love and freedom from fear?

Although I am away, my daughter has said I can take some of her special adoption cookie with me. Now that is true love!! 🙂

God loves us, but will we love him back?

How can we grow in our relationship with God?

Addition to original article

Just finished breakfast and she is not sure if she wants to wear the hat around school this year. I suggested that she could do without the cookie as well but she wants to keep that! My little girl is growing up!