 A few weeks ago thousands of families were robbed of the opportunity to display the gospel. Nearly 200,000 beautiful children, created in the image of God, were sentenced to a life less than what God wants for them. When Vladimir Putin signed an adoption ban for American families, I believe he destroyed the lives of thousands. Life in a Russian orphanage can only be described as horrible. Particularly if you have special needs. This adoption ban will likely result in the death of hundreds, if not thousands, of children. I'm angry. But more than that, I'm heartbroken. My heart weeps for the families whose children are caught in limbo. I cry with the parent not knowing if their child will ever come home. I hurt with the children who will never have the opportunity to know the love of a family. Who were made for more than being chained to a crib their whole life (watch the video of children in an Eastern European orphanage here. Warning: EXTREMELY graphic. Prepare for a deeply saddened heart) God's heart breaks for the orphan. He cries out seeing his image-bearers mistreated. Why? Because it so clearly displays his heart for the lost. It is a picture of our own salvation. Of our adoption into His Holy Family. God welcomes us into his family forever. Colossians 1 says that he literally transfers us from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the Son, whom he loves. We are brought from death to life. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1 God's adoption of us is the ultimate picture of love. Welcoming us fully into His family, receiving the full rights of children. Full inheritance and acceptance. A confidence that no matter what happens, God will always be there. The security that we will never cease to be in God's family. Oh what joy! I just love this video of a family telling their soon-to-be daughter they want to adopt her forever. There are three parts I really love about this: * The pure joy and overwhelming emotion of the daughter. Her realization of security and hope. I imagine this is just a shadow of the emotions we might feel when we are finally in the presence of Jesus, our savior. * The look of relief of the mom just after they tell her. You can see the love she has for her daughter all over her face. It's the look of a mother who deeply cares for her child. *And the heart of the father. Particularly when he says, "You haven't been loved and taken care of like you should have and we are going to do that forever. We are going to protect you and love you, and you can have security in knowing that we're always going to be here for you." Can't you just picture our heavenly Father saying this to us as he welcomes us into His family? The things we long for most- love, acceptance, security. Our Father offers that to us in full. Adoption is beautiful. I am praying that God will move in the hearts of the Russian government to lift the adoption ban. I am praying that the nearly 200,000 children will someday get to experience the gospel lived out through adoption. I pray that no matter if they are ever adopted on earth, they will know the adoption offered by a wonderful and perfect Heavenly Father. New here? Head on over to the Home page to see what we're all about. Follow via email (we send a short recap of all the articles to your inbox once a week) to be entered in the monthly giveaways and like on facebook for daily encouraging verses and memes. About Angi Angi loves Jesus, coffee, baseball and baking cakes. She is a missionary to college students and can't think of anything she'd rather do to serve God. Angi first met the Lord while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa but really understood His love and grace as a freshman in college. Her heart is to invest in college students in the same way that many others invested in her. You can find her blogging over at Angi Does Ministry where she tells stories about Jesus, college students, and life. You can also find her on facebook, twitter, pintrest and instagram. Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs.
4 Comments
1/17/2013 04:51:52 am
Crying like a baby watching that video. Dear God, help us. 1/17/2013 11:34:38 am
We have a right to be angry at things like this. It is so sad that people don't value human life any more than they do. Its is absolutely terrible and sickening. Thank you for sharing your heart on this matter. God Bless You! Leave a Reply. |
