Jamie's First Mother's Day

Today I can’t help but think about how blessed I am. Yesterday was the first Mother’s day that Jamie got to really celebrate. We had an awesome day and it was huge to see the girls bring gifts to Jamie. As many of you know, we have taken in 3 foster daughters that we are trying to adopt. Those little girls have come into our home after going through so much and wanted nothing but love and affection. Meanwhile, they have absolutely stolen our hearts. Now I can’t imagine life without them. 

I still remember the first day they came into our home. They had this look in their eye that I can’t even explain. It was a look of desperation and distrust. They wanted to trust us but they didn’t know if they could. I can still picture one of the twins clinging to Jamie. I think she was a little scared of Jamie but she was terrified of being put on the ground. Looking back through pictures you can see how they have grown physically but you see how much their demeanor and facial expressions have changed. 

Jamie and I were driving down the road the other day and I told her that I couldn’t imagine loving the girls anymore if they looked just like me. Sometimes we start thinking that this is too good to be true because we struggled to have kids for so long. So immediately the conversation went to how bad we wanted to adopt them. During that conversation, one of us said, “I think God understands adoption more than we do.” I don’t remember what exactly brought that up but I remember how the mood of the conversation changed. We found hope and we found encouragement as we started to talk about what it meant that God would adopt us as his own. 

Romans 8:15-16 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry “Abba Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

I still remember the first time the girls called me “daddy.” Can you remember the first time you called God, “daddy.” Just like the girls, there is a fear that most of us have as we come to Christ but now after feeling His love we are terrified of being put down on our own. Didn’t you feel the need for love and affection just like the girls did? You found much more than that through Christ. The idea of “sonship” that this verse speaks of, means that we are not just sons and daughters of Christ but now heirs. We didn’t do anything to deserve life yet God loved us so much He made us family heirs. I know that Jamie and I love the girls so much it hurts but God loves us more than that. What am I supposed to say to that? How can I even respond to that with anything else but awe? There is no greater honor than to be in the family of God. God I am amazed by you!!!