|
“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”(Romans 8:15-17 NLT)
|
|
I once witnessed an adult adoption ceremony. It was so incredibly moving that I struggle to communicate the power of that scene. The man was black; the family that had taken him in was white. As a young teen, he had run away from a horrible situation; they brought him in and loved him as their own. In fact, their son of the same age was the one who brought him home and – in a massive sacrifice for any Middle Schooler – willingly gave up sole possession of his bedroom in order to share it with his orphan friend. The new parents, whom we’ll call Mr. and Mrs. West, became his legal guardians all through his youth. Asking nothing in return, this family raised the young man as their own son. Years later, a college graduate, he was going to court with them to officially have his name changed to theirs. As his pastor, I was asked to come along and lead a prayer. At the ceremony, the judge said something that immediately flashed me back to Romans 8, “Now, Mr. Murphy, you have enjoyed all the benefits of being around the West family. Should you accept this adoption, you will be legally bound as a member of the West clan. That means you will be entitled to inheritances and blessings, but you will also be subject to any pains that come with the name. Your future will include taking care of aging parents and other trials that go with your new surname. Do you understand?” He of course said yes. Then she asked, “Do you accept this?” He again answered affirmatively, though it was hard to hear because he was crying for joy. In fact, we were all weeping happy tears – even the judge! Ever since, I cannot read Romans 8:15-17 without seeing that scene in my mind and recognizing that a lost, orphaned soul like me has been given to opportunity to bear Jesus’ name. Rescued from a literally hellacious situation, I am granted all the temporal pains and blessings as well as the eternal inheritance that goes with joining God’s family. Wow! Think on that and one cannot help but weep for joy. |