Earlier this week I posted about our adopted inheritance in Christ. Today is a guest post from Ben Patterson from What Familes Do, sharing his personal story of adoption that makes God’s love for us even more clear. What a beautiful story.....
"I knew I loved my kids at the moment we first met.
But I didn't know if it would happen that way.
My wife and I adopted our four children from Poland three years ago. It was a journey that made us first time parents. I remember praying for our unknown children, preparing our home for them, and studying to be an effective first-time parent.
Preparing a child's bedroom is easy. Preparing your heart to be a Dad and care for a child is a fuzzy process and you don't know if you're ever, "Ready." The question haunted me, "What if I don't love my children?"
Sometimes people wish they knew the future so they could prepare for it. That's what I wanted as I made efforts to emotionally prepare for being a Dad. But God doesn't reveal the future all at once. God gives us the necessary information to follow Him, to trust, and obey.
Nothing could have prepared me for the emotions I experienced as a first-time father. From the moment we met, the bond with our children was incredible. I'm thankful that the Lord made it this way.
I cannot image my life without our four kids! We will do everything it takes to raise them in the way of the Lord, educate them for impact in the world, and support them in their unique passions.
It seems silly to think that I was unsure if I could love our children. Still, uncertainty about the future is common for many of us. Many days go by where you worry about tomorrow or question what the future holds.
For those who know and love the Lord, Jesus makes it clear what the future will be:
John 14:19-20 (NIV)
Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
When we live by God's standards, he will not leave us. We are his children! Do you realize this? We have been adopted into His family.
I am not a perfect father yet I still love my children like crazy. God is the perfect father. Think about how crazy he is for you, his son or daughter.
We don't have to know the future to have faith in God, we have to have faith in God to be secure about the future. The Lord will provide."
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