Adoption

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.
Romans 8:14-17

Friday morning we all went to the orphanage and spent some time with the children. As soon as we stepped into the building tears began to fill my eyes at the number of orphaned children. I guess I've never given much thought to orphans because we hear about it much less in America, but the reality and the tragedy of their situation really hit me. I just kept thinking most of them will grow up never knowing a mother or father. They will never have someone special teaching them, congratulating them, comforting them, even disciplining them. In fact, some of those children do not even have the option of being adopted because they were simply left rather than signed over, so the orphanage cannot legally give them over for adoption.

All of the children, even those who looked less than two years old, were sitting at tables eating their breakfast. Some of them looked like they weighed less than ten pounds, and several of them were covered in chicken pox and bug bites. After they all finished eating, they moved outside to play. I saw one little girl, probably about five years old, standing by herself. I walked over to her and said hello and asked her name in Thai. She didn't answer, but she turned around and reached up for me to hold her. I lifted her and she wrapped her arms and legs around me in the tightest, sweetest hug anyone has ever given me. We laughed and played the rest of the time I was there, and she wouldn't leave my side. This situation was about the same for each team member there. We all had a sweet little friend holding our hand or hugging our neck, not wanting to leave our side. In fact, when we left almost all of the children began crying, some screaming, and a few tried to follow us out.

Honestly, I battled with this situation for a couple of days after we left asking God why He would bring those children into the world for them to grow up in such a lost, empty way. Then I realized, we were just like those children. We were lost and abandoned. We had no hope of anything greater. We were dead in our sins. But God, by His mercy, raised us up and rescued us from death. We, like those orphans, were stuck in our hopelessness. Praise be to God that He has saved us from darkness. He has adopted us and made us His own children. We are now brothers and sisters with the one and only King, Christ Jesus. This is amazing! The King of the entire universe looks at us as His own children. I am rejoicing at how sweet the Lord is, that He has given us hope and has freed us from the bondage of sin!