Our Forever Family
By Jen Wollner
“…God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons….So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”
By Jen Wollner
“…God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons….So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”
Galatians
4:4-5, 7 (NIV)
Many years ago, before
my husband and I were even married, we talked about our desire to have children
one day. Like many couples, we wanted to try to have biological children, but
God had also put another dream in our hearts…adoption. It was something we both
felt strongly drawn to and a few years ago, God made that longing a reality
when He orchestrated the adoptions of two of our children from Guatemala.
As we went through the
process of adopting our son and daughter, there was one particular piece of
paperwork that we found very interesting. It was a notarized document we both
signed saying that our adopted children would be full heirs of ours, treated no
differently than our biological son. By signing this form, we were promising
that they would carry our surname… and, along with it, they would enjoy all the
benefits of being part of our family, including being equal beneficiaries to
our assets, both while we were living and in the event of our deaths. They
would no longer be orphans, but the son and daughter of Benjamin and Jennifer
Wollner…and nothing could ever change their status or inheritance. We
would be a family, forever!
Just as my husband and
I adopted our children, so God adopts us, paying the price of our adoption
through His Son, Jesus. We become children of Almighty God—Creator of the
universe—by accepting Jesus as our Savior. Our status changes from “orphan” to
“daughter of the Most High”! Nothing can take away the security we have in that
position. Scripture says that when we believe, we are “…marked in him with a
seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance…”
(Ephesians 1:13b-14a). In other words, when we believe in Jesus for our
salvation, the adoption papers are signed and stamped official with the
delivery of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. Then, we are full heirs to His
Kingdom and all its riches and blessings are ours, both here on earth and
throughout eternity in Heaven. Oh, what joy we find in
our forever family!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Your adoption into
God’s family has already been paid for…have you accepted His invitation to
become His daughter? If not, what’s keeping you from doing so and receiving the
incredible inheritance that is waiting for you?
2. If you are already a
daughter of the King of Kings, take a moment to appreciate the gift of your
identity through faith in Christ.
FURTHER READING:
Jen
and her husband are busily parenting three elementary aged children. She serves
on the leadership team for Mission: Hope, Oakwood’s orphan care ministry.
