What Adoption Has Taught Me About Redemption
I’ll admit that growing up, Easter wasn’t my
favorite holiday. I was Team Christmas
all the way. Who doesn’t love the
sparkle and glow and homemade cookies of December? And who doesn’t love presents?
Christmas 2014, still one of my favorite pictures!
(Clearly 3 wise men weren’t available)
Easter, to me, was where the Easter Bunny
left me random Robin Eggs and gooey Peeps that I didn’t care for much. Why couldn’t he raid The North Pole and bring
me something I actually would enjoy?
But as I’ve grown older, Easter has become my
absolute favorite holiday season of the year.
And not for all the reasons that many love this season…don’t get me
wrong; I love a good egg hunt and some beautifully dyed eggs just like anyone
else.
Priya, Easter 2014
I love Easter because of one word:
Redemption.
I love that we, as Christians, take this time
to ponder the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now more than ever, we try to wrap our minds
around the torture Jesus willingly endured for our salvation. I relish in partaking in the Lord’s Supper
with my church every year, thanking God for sending Jesus to be broken and
bruised and shed his blood for the payment of our sins. Maybe because there isn’t much peace and
quiet in my life these days, I treasure the opportunity to ponder the miracle
of redemption. Romans 5:8, "God demonstrated His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
And then there’s Easter Sunday. I mean, Good Friday would just be Friday if it weren’t for Easter
Sunday. If Jesus had stayed in the
grave, then it all means nothing. He
wasn’t the first man crucified, and he wasn’t the last. But He WAS the first and only man who
defeated death and sin forever when he ROSE AGAIN FROM THE GRAVE! His
resurrection means everything! Those who
are His will live forever with Him (John 11:25). In Him, we have this glorious hope! I love Easter.
And this year, it just so happens that Easter
is extra special for the Mathew family. Our beloved Priya’s Gotcha Day is smack
dab in the middle of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This year marks her 10th year of
being in our family. 10 years! Time flies.
It feels like yesterday.
Here's a little video Wes put together for Priya when we celebrated her first Gotcha Day-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CykrahVbVG4
And as I have been pondering the last 10
years of our lives with her and looking through old pictures of Priya, I
realize, more than ever, something profound:
Adoption is a redemption story. Adoption is the story of Easter!
You see, when God set forth His plan to
redeem mankind to Himself, which He
planned before the foundation of the world was laid, adoption was a part of
that plan.
We were all born into a situation that was
beyond our control. We are all sinners. (Romans
3:23). The Bible says we were
destitute, separated from God and without hope in the world (Ephesians 2:12)
Priya, circa 2009 in India at her orphanage
And because of our sin, our future was
grim: Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death…”
But God, who is rich in mercy and abounds in
everlasting love, saw us in our desperate state. And He came for us. Romans
6:23b says, “But the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
John 3:16 “For God SO loved the world that He gave His only begotten son; that
whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus was born, lived a sinless life, and
then paid the price for our redemption by dying on the cross. He rose again the 3rd day to seal
the deal and give us the glorious hope of eternal life. He fulfilled ALL the legal requirements to
purchase us, to redeem us, to adopt us.
I think it’s quite miraculous that God chose
this very special name for His relationship with those who believe. I mean, He could have called us
anything. He’s God. He could call us “soldiers” or “minions” or
“mortals” or “creatures” or whatever He wants.
But He didn’t choose any of those names.
He chooses to call us “sons and daughters.” Through adoption.
Ephesians 8:15-17 says, 15 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!” 16 The Spirit
Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 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.
He brings us into His FAMILY. He is our Father, and we are His
children! He gives us identity and tells
us we belong. He comforts, provides,
rebukes, encourages, disciplines, defends, and teaches us, just as a father
should do.
And when He adopts us, He makes a GREAT
promise to us in John 14:18! He says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will
come to you.”
Friends, He’s coming back for us! To bring us to live with Him forever!
John 14:1-6 “Do not let your heart
be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not
so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
And you know the way where I am going. Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know
where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the
way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Priya in the room we prepared for her
And when we’re adopted, we come to
LIFE! John 10:10 “The enemy only comes to steal, kill, and destroy; but I have come that
they might have LIFE, and have it more abundantly.”
I love some of these pictures of
Priya, SO full of life!
So as I ponder this redemption, this adoption, I celebrate what God has done in the life of my Priya
over these past 10 years. She is the
BEST. She is. She has brought us unspeakable joy and
touched the heart of everyone who knows her. Priya, your name was so perfectly chosen for you, our beloved sweetheart.
But what I celebrate most of all
is my own adoption. God saw me in my desperation, came for me,
brought me into His family, and will return for me! And that, my friends, changes everything!
May you find a place at the table
of our King this Easter. He’s already
fulfilled what was required for your redemption, for your adoption. Will you trust Him as your Father? He has unspeakable things planned for your
life! I Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has
seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those
who love Him.”
Happy Easter!
He is risen! Hallelujah!
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