I watched a video recently of a boy opening a gift, and it reminded me of God. As the boy opened the gift and realized what it was, emotion rolled over him. His shoulders dropped, his eyes filled up with tears, and he hugged his new mom and dad. He had been adopted. He held tightly in his hands ordinary paper with a message that changed his life. He would no longer be a child of the system or bounce from foster home to foster home. Nor would he go to sleep each night with uncertainty, longing anxiously to have what other children have—parental love and stability.
Belonging and being loved are fundamental human desires. These are two things that children in the system want most. When a family finally says, “We love you and want you, just as if you were born to us.” What joy and peace. That trust can begin to be repaired. A child that felt like nobody wanted them can begin to have the security that everything will truly be okay, my mom and dad love me.
Belonging and being loved are fundamental human desires that God has fulfilled in His relationship with us. This is how it is described in Romans 8:14-17, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
We who are being led by the Spirit have been adopted by God out of sin into coheirship with Christ the Son. That is to say, that the revelation of the Spirit of God in the Bible is the guiding and ruling authority in our lives. We have a relation with God that allows us to cry out, “Father, Father,” just as Christ did in the garden that night of anguish (Mark 14:36). When we put on Christ in baptism (Gal. 3:27), we begin to look like Him. We are given new clothes (Rev. 3:5). We are given a new name (Rev. 3:12). In every aspect of our lives, we are to imitate our Father, “as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1). You are loved and belong to Him.
The next time you pick up the Bible, remember that you are holding your adoption papers—the message that can change your life no matter what your past was or where you come from. Remember also, “He who is faithful has promised,” and everything He has promised will come to pass (Heb. 10:23; 1 Thess. 5:24) You can rest at the end of the day knowing truly everything will be okay, your Heavenly Father loves you. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5).