Yesterday was Father's Day (at least for Japan and the US). My dad and my grandfather should receive postcards in the mail sometime this week, but I sent them messages via iMessage letting them know I was thinking of them. I, along with other friends, honored the fathers at the church I attend. Not only the fathers, but also father figures there. There are many mentors (men and women) who never have children, but are still in roles as "elders" of society, teaching and guiding us youngin's.
Though I was honoring all these fathers that are in my life, my thoughts were focused the most on my adopted father. "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:14-17).
How wonderful to be called a child of God. Not a child as in the product of His creative inspiration, but someone who is an heir as if the first born son of God! Jesus is God's Son, and because of his sacrificial death that allows for sins to be forgiven, it is possible not only for me to live eternally in Heaven and serve God forever, but to be considered his child, no less in value than if I was actually born of His loins.
I think of the story of Pinocchio. Geppetto created a puppet and wanted him to be a real boy so that he could be his son. Through an amazing journey in which Pinocchio makes many mistakes, we're led to a happy ending where Pinocchio becomes a real boy and all of his mistakes are forgiven. I think the story of adoption into God's family is similar to this, except that even the few good things I've done cannot save me, it is the things that Jesus Christ has done that allows the adoption process to be complete.
I've been told that Jesus has walked the human life and understands us very well. I realized that He also understands the relationship between a child and an adopted father. After all, Joseph raised Jesus as if He was his own son. He moved his family to Egypt to be certain that Jesus's life was spared. He took Jesus to the temple with his family and also taught him carpentry. Jesus was known in Nazareth as the son of Joseph. Not that Joseph was a perfect father, as all human fathers, I'm sure he had his shortcomings, but my point is that Jesus knows what it's like to have a man call you child and do so without any natural obligation.
Isn't this how God is as our Father? He has adopted us, not out of obligation, but out of love, a love I can't even understand, because I definitely don't deserve to be a member of God's family. I did nothing to gain membership. God planned way before I was born that I would be His child. One day, I heard Him calling my name, and I answered. At that point the adoption process was complete and I was officially part of the family. There is nothing I can do to get unadopted. That isn't even a word. I'm a member of God's family for life. He will never let me go.
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