Adoption is at the Heart of the Gospel

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:15

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:23

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Galatians 4:4-6

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:4-6

Adoption is at the heart of the Gospel. There are several biblical instances of adoption, such as the adoptions of Moses and Esther. In both cases, God used their new life circumstances for His glory. Even more apparent is that our relationship as children of our Heavenly Father, as demonstrated by the verses above, is made through adoption.

All of my children are adopted. I love them deeply. Yet for all my love, there have been trying times. One child, extremely angry over his life circumstances, has allowed his heart to be eaten up with rage and self-centeredness. You may think it unkind of me as a mother to say such a thing about my child, but I could tell you many things which have happened that demonstrate this. Has this child been difficult to love? Yes, at moments, because I am sinful. Will the reward ever be known? I don't know, but God has shown me much about who He is and who I am through these circumstances. And, graciously, He has given me a great love for this child who so desperately needs the hope of Christ. God has also made very real to me the fact that He alone can bring true healing to the human heart.

If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that prior to knowing Christ, we too were ugly on the inside (and occasionally after knowing Christ), yet He loves us. The Bible tells us that we love Him because He first loved us. Yes, even as we were ugly and "unlovable". Despite who I was, my God was faithful to adopt me as a co-heir with Christ.

Isaiah 64:6 teaches us that our righteous acts prior to grace are as filthy rags (or filthy garments or polluted garments, depending on the translation). When my child does disgusting things to exert control or does cutesy things that ring false to gain favor, I must remember the state of my own garments before knowing Christ.

As an adopted child, I cost the Father greatly. His Son carried the burden of my sin. Yet, He has remained steadfast in His relationship with me. Through adopting my children, I have experienced motherhood, a wonderful privilege accompanied by tender moments and humorous moments. I have also experienced knowing God more, and learning about the wickedness of my heart.

My love is not as easy and forgiving as I once thought it. My perseverance and patience is not longsuffering. My ability to put my neighbor or even my child's needs above my own has been weak, at times. But, through it all, God has brought me into a deeper knowledge of Him, a more honest examination of myself, and a life that has eternal meaning. He is teaching me to be faithful, to persevere, to show a true love rather than a fickle one.

I don't know for what purpose God chose my children out of the millions who need mothers and fathers, but I do know that He chose them to be mine for a time. I pray that one day His call on their lives will bring glory and honor to Him and His truth will be made known in a greater capacity. I thank Him for the privilege of loving my children and having them for however long He allows me to.

To learn more about how adoption is at the heart of the gospel, I strongly urge you to read this message by John Piper and the accompanying letter he wrote his wife as he shared his commitment with her to adopt their daughter.

You CAN make a difference!

I have a hero. I don't know her name, but I chat with her frequently. She is just another mom who picks up children at the local elementary school. Two of her children are special needs, and she has to be there when school is released to get a daily report. Her other children are much the same as mine, laughing and bouncing as they arrive to tell Mom all about their day at school. Three of her children are adopted, all from foster care she provided. I admire her desire to make a difference in the lives of a few children, her willingness to sacrifice normal for something better.

May is National Foster Care Month. Click on the picture below to find out more about how you can make a difference!



There are 513,000 children in foster care in the United States. Here are the most recent stats I could find on foster care in my state.

• As of 2003, there were 6,079 children in the foster care system.
• 25% were under the age of 5.
• 52% were between the ages of 11 and 18.
• The average length of stay for these children is 34 months. 34 MONTHS.
• Over half of these children are not reunified with their birth families.

Imagine being a toddler or elementary school age child and spending three years without a family of your own. Now imagine being a teenager and doing that. Adolescence is hard enough with a family to support and guide you.

Think about spending your formative years in a group home and then trying to be a spouse or a parent, maintaining a home and having had no one to learn how to do these things from. How do you know how to be a mom or dad, a husband or wife? Where have you learned how to solve problems and work through disagreements? Who has shared Christ with you? Prayed for you? Disciplined you? Felt joy in your successes and sadness in your times of disappointment?

Scripture tells us that pure and undefiled religion is caring for orphans and widows in their times of need. How are we doing that?

Great Posts by Hubby

My excogitating hubby has written two great posts lately.

One is about Mother's Day and those struggling with infertility. As one who formerly struggled with this, I urge you to read his post and encourage a friend struggling with this on Mother's Day.

The other post is about how we should view our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am so blessed to have this man as my husband!

Friday Photo

Freshly picked cherries outside Kyiv

I came across this picture today on my computer, and it reminded me of the wonderful fruit we had in Ukraine.

When we travelled to Ukraine, we were warned, as we had been on several other occasions prior to travelling overseas, that it was not safe to eat fresh fruits and vegetables prior to cooking them. A noted exception was fruit with a thick peel, such as oranges and bananas. We always try to heed these warnings. On at least one occasion, despite heeding them, my better half fell ill due to ingesting bacteria his body wasn't familiar with.

In Ukraine, partly because we stayed much longer than we had anticipated, these warnings were put to the test. First, our adoption facilitator, Sveta, took us out to her sister's house and offered us fresh strawberries picked from her yard. How do you politely refuse that? We didn't, and had some of the best strawberries I've ever eaten. On another occasion, while in Crimea (an autonomous republic just south of Ukraine), Sveta's husband picked some fresh berries from the hills we were on just outside and behind the orphange our sons were in, and offered us some. We tried those as well.

Since we had already "broken the rules" and these cherries Galya picked of the tree looked so fantastic, we had no hesitation when she offered them to us.

One thing I really miss from Ukraine is the cherries. They are abundant and cheap. Ukrainians use them in a variety of ways, including varenyky. My sons love cherries. They remind them of their former home. Sometimes, I oblige them by purchasing from the local Food World, but I have to cut off my arm to afford them in the States.

By the time we left Ukraine, we were positively feasting on apples, raspberries, cherries and the like. Miraculously, hubby and I managed to stay well.

Children's Hospital, Kyiv

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:27

When we travelled to Ukraine to adopt, the process took much longer than we originally anticipated. During the weeks when we were literally just waiting for another appointment to obtain a child referral, we had the privilege of visiting several orphanages and a children's hospital. We spent many days visiting the children's hospital. The benefit was mutual--it helped us pass the time and it gave the children fun visits and attention they so desperately needed.

Young children who were abandoned or found living on the streets were sent here, as well as sick children from the orphanages. If a child was abandoned in Kyiv or the surrounding area, they were supposed to spend one month here before being sent to an orphanage to begin the twelve month wait to be eligible for adoption. Sometimes, there was no space for them in the orphanage, so they would languish at this hospital for up to six months or more...not even beginning the paperwork necessary to start the twelve month wait to be eligible for adoption.



This was an eye opening experience for dh and I. The building was an old communist style building--note the metal bars on the windows. The conditions were appalling--filthy floors, horrid baths and toilets, thin mattresses (sometimes rotting) on metal springs and old dirty blankets. There were no toys, no crayons, no paper or books except what the friend we visited with gave to the girls. There were no adults spending time with the children. They saw an adult at mealtime as workers dropped off a tray with porridge and extremely hot tea for young children and the doctor occasionally. When the children were done eating, the remains of the food and dishes were placed in a wooden cabinet for retrieval, sometimes sitting there for many hours. The downside of this was that workers could pick up the trays without having to interact with the children again. The employees at the hospital seemed nice, and were always pleased to see our friend coming to spend time with the orphans. I have no way of knowing, but I'd like to believe they would have done more had they been given the resources to do so.




In addition to orphans, Ukranian citizens brought their children here for care. The conditions were not greatly better for those children, although they obviously got much more love and attention.

When we visited, we always brought fresh fruit, sausage, sometimes bread, and juice as well as bubbles, coloring books, etc. The smiles from the children made every moment there worthwhile. I will never forget the girls we played with as well as the little boy upstairs who was still in a crib.

The children were precious. Obviously, they had faced difficult circumstances early in their childhood, and some were handling it better than others. But, as with any children, they loved human interaction, and enjoyed playing, coloring and talking. Watching their faces light up upon our arrival and hearing their laughter during our visits made us feel good. Hearing their cries when we left after several hours, knowing they had to while away the time for sometimes hours, sometimes days before another visit broke our hearts.

These children were beautiful to us.The plight of these children still weighs on my heart deeply. We have been given so much, and so little was needed to brighten their day--more than material things, they just needed a human connection. I know we cannot aid every child, but we can make a difference in the lives of a few. To learn more about the situation these children face and how you can help, visit Hopeful Hearts Foundation's website. They regularly send ministry teams to paint rooms, replace beds, provide foods, secure medicine, etc. They spend time playing with the children. They send occupational therapists to work with the children and show the orphanage staff how to help the children with developmental delays. Most importantly, they share the love of Christ with children and adults they come into contact with while working there.

Poost Bog Blagoslavit Vas

Many people have asked what Slava Bogu means. It means "Praise God" in Russian. It is one of the many Russian phrases we learned while spending the summer of 2005 in Ukraine. It is also probably the most important phrase we learned.

We spent 6 weeks and two days separated from our 3 year old daughter as we sought out the children God would have us adopt. While the end result made the journey worthwhile, I have to be frank in saying that after three weeks in Ukraine with the process to adopt a particular child not begun, we were somewhat discouraged. The most difficult decision of our married lives was made during that time when we visited a child that we did not have a peace about adopting. I remember weeping into the night, second guessing ourselves, and to this day remember the child frequently, praying for him as he comes to mind, although sadly, I don't pray for him daily as I was sure I would in the intensity of that moment.

While the adoption process was discouraging, we had the pleasure of staying with a Christian lady and visiting her church several times. This was of great encouragement to us. Singing praises to our Lord in English while our brothers and sisters were singing praises in Russian was a highlight of our trip. Worshipping with people of other tribes and tongues seemed to be a glimpse of heaven. And so, declaring Slava Bogu! Praise God! reminded us of whom we had placed our hope in--the Living God who had led us thus far.

And by the way, Poost Bog Blagoslavit Vas means "May God bless you all!"

To read more about our 2005 adoption journey, visit www.caringbridge.org/al/theoues .