Building Families
It’s blustery, it’s cold, and we haven’t seen the sun for a week — it must be November! Not too many people would say they’d just love for these dark, damp, chilly days to continue indefinitely. In contrast with the recent spell of blue skies, colorful leaves, and brilliant sunshine, it feels as though all the light and color of our environment has been washed away by a harsh, old-fashioned laundry soap. So how could we possibly find any light or pleasure at such a gloomy time?
For starters, we could look at November as a time of beauty and joy by focusing on the occasions of celebration during the month. We began with the glowing warmth of candlelight in our All Saints celebration, gratefully remembering both historic and personal saints whose lives and witness have guided us in the faith. The month wraps up with our national holiday of Thanksgiving — a warm and bright and beautiful time with family and friends, regardless of gray skies and short days.
My new favorite time in November, however, began twelve years ago, when our family went to the Hennepin County Juvenile Court to witness the finalization of our granddaughter’s adoption. The lobby and public areas were crowded with families of all kinds of configurations, and as we wondered what was going on, we learned that November is National Adoption Month! The wide smiles and eyes sparkling with happy tears created light and brightness enough to banish any shadows. To my way of thinking, November is now the very best month of the year — a totally biased and highly personal opinion, of course.
Throughout the Bible, we learn of adoption as God’s gift to his people, creating families based on love and commitment. For centuries, the people of Israel lived and worshipped according to the laws set forth in the Torah. Hebrew families were required to not only care for the orphaned children of their relatives, but to adopt them as full members of the family. Through this practice, lines of inheritance were assured, and children were made secure as members of their family and community.
The Apostle Paul describes God’s loving acceptance in Galatians 4:4-7:
“When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”
So there is the adoption document, signed, sealed and delivered, with no loopholes or qualifiers. Through the gift of God’s own Son, we are children and heirs, fully members of his family, equal in every way. There is never a time when we cannot cry out to our Father for comfort or protection, for reassurance of his love and forgiveness. He is our Father and we are his children, and that bond is unbreakable.
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers