We Are His Sons And Daughters
By Candi Lopes, Children’s Ministry Coordinator
“How blessed is God! And what a blessing He is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in Him. Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His beloved Son.” Ephesians 1:3-6 (Message)
“A father of the fatherless…” (Psalms 68:5)
God is so good, and I am so thankful knowing that He is my Father in Heaven.
I am a product of earthly adoption and foster care. I praise God for blessing me with parents who chose me to be their child and be part of a loving family. I grew up knowing that not all children become as fortunate as me and my adoptive siblings. I saw firsthand how children get born into families but are not able to share that same kind of love. I saw firsthand how parents abuse their precious children, as my family also took in foster children for years. It breaks my heart knowing that there are so many children needing a father like God, who is so loving and caring. It drives my passion to work with children to share the love I have been gifted with.
As I plan for a trip to visit my adoptive older brother, I am reminded about my childhood and growing up with the immense love my parents had for me, my four adoptive siblings, and the numerous children they cared for through the foster system. My parents were truly God’s hands and feet in the way they cared for us every day.
My older brother Karl, my father’s biological son, was adopted by our mother who loved him as her very own. Karl has autism, but my parents showed him as much love as they showed all of their children. He may have always been in his own world in a way, as he communicates differently with others and not all the time. But he has always been my big brother. My parents would tell me how he welcomed me and loved me so much when I came to live with them as an infant in foster care. He showed such gentleness when he held me and protected me.
Karl was recently diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, and is now in hospice. Because of his autism, his inability to communicate, and the harsh and low quality of life that cancer treatment will bring, the doctors will not give him chemotherapy to lengthen the time he has here on earth. At first I was angry, guilty, mad, upset, sad, heartbroken (all of the above!) about that. But I had a change of heart after a conversation with a nurse who sees a lot in the emergency room. I believe God made that meeting happen. This nurse reinforced the fact that it would almost be inhumane to keep someone on treatment who may or may not wish to, or who may not understand what is happening. I am at peace knowing that when God calls Karl home, he will be at home with God the Father and our adoptive mother in Heaven.
“But our citizenship is heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:20-21)
Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for loving us and adopting us to be yours forever. Thank You for the families You have given us here on earth and the family of Christ we have in the church. Continue to show us how we can love others to do Your work through our everyday lives. Amen.
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