Helping families with adoptions is one of my favorite parts of serving as an attorney. There are such strong spiritual implications of adoption. One of the legal roles I still fill as often as possible is serving as attorney for families who seek to adopt a child. The judge and I call it happy law. So much of the law involves problems and the end of love, and adoptions are all about solutions and the creation of love. 
Adoptions matter for many reasons. One is because of the way it’s a shadow of what God does with us. Do you grasp that your identity as an adopted child shows that God had great intention toward you? It wasn’t an accident. Adoption requires intention and choice. Much action and expense is involved.
For example, today in the legal environment, families often spend multiple thousands (think $20,000+) to adopt a child. They go through months of care, worry and concern as they maneuver the legal process. They make the decision to add to their family. They choose the child and then they fight with time, money and effort to bring that child into the protection of their family.
Once the process is legally complete, the law sees absolutely no difference between a child born of the family and a child added in through adoption. Isn’t that exactly what God and Jesus did? God chose to adopt all those who were trapped in sin. Then He decided to pay the highest price He could (His son Jesus) to redeem the lost and bring them into His family. He didn’t bring us in as slaves or guest – each of which have few legal rights. Instead, He chose to bring us in as legal heirs with full rights and access.
This is so different from the natural process of parenting. For most – but not all – families, when they decide to have children, it is a simple process that costs them little. Sometimes we don’t even choose to become parents and it happens. Two come together and create a third. But this is not the process God uses. He paid a great expense and fights and immense battle to draw each of us into His family. And then He uses adoption to give us full rights as daughters and sons.
This is life changing when we grasp and understand our value to our adopted Daddy and brother.
When I walk a family through the legal process, I watch our judge ask the adopting siblings if they welcome the proposed adoptee. The siblings should be enthusiastic or it raises concern in the heart of the judge that the adoption will succeed. Jesus is excited to welcome you to the family as an adopted child of God. It’s why He came. The angels celebrate just as adoptive families’ friends and extended family celebrate.
Even the judge celebrates because it is a family requesting the addition of legal responsibilities when so much of a judge’s work is dealing with people who aren’t meeting their legal obligations.
Romans 8:15 New King James Version (NKJV)
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Have you considered adoption?
Comments 4
Thank you so much for your work. You are truly looking after the orphans. God keeps bringing adoption/fostering to my mind and heart. Not sure implications of that yet, but thank you for having mercy on those innocent children.
Charity, Thanks. I know people who are doing so much more…but believe God calls each of us to do what James 1:27 commands.
My husband and I have adopted both our daughters, and both times it has been a miracle straight from the Lord. We are still trying to finalize the adoption of our 10 month old since her birth father is Native American and we have to deal with the Indian Child Welfare Act. Luckily we are having an open adoption and the birth parents both chose us, so that will be on our side. We are actively fasting and praying that this will go through! Thank you for being an advocate for adoption and this lovely post. I’m always trying to promote a positive perception of adoption, especially through the terminology and language we use about it. Our older daughter was recently explaining to some friends about adopting her baby sister, but didn’t mention her own adoption. When I added, “Emily was adopted too!” She got a proud look on her face, and as I made eye contact with her, I said, “They are my special girls.” I want her to always feel loved and that adoption is a normal thing. It’s been interesting that as she has witnessed the adoption process of her sister, she has more questions about her own adoption and we have the opportunity to have conversations with her. We talk about how God is the one who blessed our family with her and her sister and she can see that He has answered our prayers!
I really enjoyed this post. My family has been a big part of caring for abused and unwanted children for several years. My Mom and Dad were full time house parents for a local girl’s home for 15 years and my sister is Executive Director for that organization and has been affiliated with it for over 30 years. When my Mom and Dad were there if the girls didn’t have anywhere to go over the holidays they were part of our family. There are several girls that we were so close to that several years later they are still part of our family and considered to be sisters. There are so many children out there that just need someone to love and care for them.