Gunner, our former pastor in Tulsa’s son, and his wife Cindi have decided to embark on the wonderful adventure that is international adoption. He has posted the letter he sent to explain their decision. I want to quote part of it here (by permission) because it so eloquently expresses some of what sheshe and I believe about why we have adoption. If you want to read the full thing, you can find it here.
May God bless Gunner, Cindi, and the children they adopt.
Rather, our reason for adopting is that “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27). The need of orphans in Africa is incalculable. Their “distress” is severe. And we have the Gospel, a family, and a home (in that order). Moreover, we ourselves have experienced the grace of adoption, and on a much grander scale. We were slaves of sin, and are now children of God (Romans 8:15). We were dead, and are now alive (Ephesians 2:1-7). God was our Judge, and now He is our Father. We faced a foreboding future in hell, but now we anticipate an abundant inheritance in heaven. God is the Father of the fatherless, and He has made Himself that for us. With all of this in mind, the thought of us not helping orphans is outlandish. “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). For us, this means adoption.
There’s one other element at play. God loves diversity, and we love diversity with Him. Jesus Christ is praised in the book of Revelation because, as the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders cry out, “You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). God’s family is colorful, because God is creative and because the bond of Christ is strong. We think this is beautiful, and therefore we desire for our family to mirror this every-tribe-tongue-people-nation diversity. The loveliest family in all the universe is God’s, and its loveliness is well-worth reflecting.
No comments:
Post a Comment