By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
When I was a little girl, I found out one of my best friends was adopted. At the time I didn’t really understand the whole concept of adoption, but I do remember being very curious about the whole thing. Even though I was intrigued, I didn’t ask my friend a lot of questions because I wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
The Bible tells us that we have been adopted as sons and daughters of the King. What a wonderful truth. The subject of adoption has been on the forefront of my mind because the theme repeatedly pops up during my study and devotion time.
With thoughts of spiritual adoption afresh on my mind, I began to wonder about my friend’s natural adoption. How did she feel about it? Did she ever wonder about her birth parents or attempt to find out who they were? Since she and I are still friends today, I decided to give her a call. She graciously consented to answer a few of my questions.
When I asked my friend how old she was when she found out that she was adopted, she said, “As far back I can remember, it was something I knew. My parents never tried to keep it a secret or anything. It was talked about as a matter of fact, so I can’t really pinpoint a specific time.”
I then asked how she felt about her adoption. Her response back was very interesting. She said, “I never really questioned being adopted or had any adverse feelings about it until a few kids in the neighborhood began to tease me. It was only then that I began question my heritage and wonder about my birth parents.”
It seems that through the loving lens of her adoptive parents, my friend saw herself as she truly was—a cherished member of the family. But once she became influenced by negative comments from ill-informed peers, her perception became skewed and feelings of uncertainty began to emerge.
A similar transfer takes place when it comes to accepting our position in the family of God. Receiving God as our Heavenly Father and believing He has adopted us as His very own requires childlike faith. As long as we have childlike faith, we will never doubt our inheritance. We only begin to doubt our inheritance when worldly influence obscures our view.
Is it possible for us to possess childlike faith and never question our heritage as children of God? The answer is yes, so long as we continue perceiving our honored position through the loving lens of our adoptive Father.
“Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.” (Psalm 119:111) “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (Ephesians 1:5-6)
My friend’s adoptive parents may not have given birth, but they sure did give her a wonderful life.
