Adopted

This is the face of someone I love very much:

This is my niece, Angelina. My sister and I were pregnant at the same time 8 years ago; her with Angelina, and I with Daniel. Angelina and Daniel were born just 5 weeks apart.

Angelina was born in Kansas City, MO surrounded by her mom, and her grandma and grandpa who all have doted on her for years. My sister is an amazing woman. For seven years she worked so hard raising Angelina on her own and working full-time to provide them with a good life. She’s done an incredible job raising this little girl on her own. My mom and dad have been around most of the time to help out with daycare and a lot of loving, but Gina has done much of the heavy lifting alone. I seriously can not imagine how tough that has been, as the longest I’ve ever been alone with my kids is 2 weeks and that about does me in! My sister deserves a gold medal or something!

Last year, my sister met an incredible man. His name is Jon, and he has two pretty special boys as well. He and Gina fell in love and Jon saw Angelina, not as a burden, but as a blessing. Wow! How lucky he thought he was to get two girls! What a guy, huh? They got married in January and everyone cried happy tears, especially Angelina who exclaimed, “I’ve always wanted a daddy!”

Now a wonderful, miraculous thing has happened in our family. Jon is adopting Angelina. After the wedding, Angelina was a little confused. Jon and Gina had left on their honeymoon and Nathan sent her to ME with her question. Thanks honey!

“Aunt Molly, I’m an Overboe, too now right!?”

I explained that at school she’d still have to be called Angelina Williams, but in her heart and where it really counted she was Angelina Overboe and that was the most important place.

But, of course, she really, really wants to be a REAL Overboe. Everyone else in the house is.

And now, on December 28th, Angelina will become, officially, in the eyes of the law, an Overboe.

Angelina will have a daddy. Forever.

I think this is particularly poignant at Christmas.

Christmas isn’t just presents and Santa Claus and trees and lights and lots to eat. Christmas is the story of God come to earth in the form of a human, a baby. The reason?

There is a point to this story. God did this for a reason. The reason is that you and I were so sinful that we couldn’t get to God on our own. Yeah, I know, you might think, ‘I’m not that bad, compared to THAT person.’ But, that’s not the point. I think we can all admit we’ve done wrong at some point in our lives. I know I can admit I screw up everyday and the Bible says that a Holy God can not abide ANY sin in His presence at all! So God became one of us to make a way to get to Him. The perfect God became a man and lived a perfect life. Then He died as a sacrifice for our sins and rose again from the dead. That’s a reason to celebrate this Christmas!

All of this happened so an adoption could take place. Yours and mine.

“But when ^the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, ^born of a woman, born ^under ^the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under ^the Law, that we might receive the adoption as ^sons.  And because you are sons, ^God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “^Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and ^if a son, then an heir ^through God.” Gal. 3:4-7

God gave us a gift; the gift of adoption as His sons. We now can have a relationship with Him and the right to call Him Daddy.

I don’t know what your relationship was with your dad growing up. Maybe you had a great dad. Maybe you had a terrible dad or maybe he was distant or abusive. But, this Christmas, we all have the opportunity to be adopted, to have a Daddy who loves us unconditionally and will never change. All that you need to do is ask. God has offered you a gift this Christmas. How silly it would be if someone gave you a gift and it sat unwrapped under the Christmas tree.

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ask. It’s that simple. Admit to God you’re a sinner. Believe Jesus is God’s son and confess that you want Him to be your Father and the one who runs your life now.

An earthly adoption is a joyful occasion, but a heavenly adoption brings joy that lasts in this life and into the next and transcends all circumstances. I’ve been adopted. Angelina would tell you she’s already been adopted by her heavenly Daddy, and she’s awfully excited to be adopted by her earthly Daddy, too.