adoption makes a difference

This morning as David (3 1/2) sat down for breakfast, he made the following statement:

"Do you know what Mommy? I want to be just. Like. Daddy."

At first I almost missed the significance of this statement. David was just speaking out of his little heart, but his words were jam packed with rich doctrinal truths and promises regarding adoption.

Once I slowed down my morning rush of breakfast, drinks and tidying up, I allowed my thoughts to linger around his little sentence. What an important sentence: "I want to be just. Like. Daddy."

First off, had God not intervened in miraculous ways, David could not make such a statement. He would not even have someone in his life to make that statement about! Matt was literally the first father in his life and he didn't enter into his life until he was 14 months old. Since then, although he was not yet adopted, he was loved and cared for like our own son and he saw Matt as his only Daddy. What a precious gift! On December 15th, Matt was declared as David's father forever. One day, our hope is that David will put his hope and trust in Jesus, and call God his Father. With tears in my eyes, I am made aware again, that adoption makes a difference! My heart goes out to the estimated 210 million orphans in this world, that cannot make that simple statement because they do not have a father.

Secondly, David's statement reminded me that as a Christian, this should be what my life is about. I should want to be like my Daddy. Sanctification is all about becoming more and more like Jesus. By His grace and day by day, my life can make small and steady steps in that direction so that others might see Christ in me, the hope of glory.

And finally and most importantly, I think David made that statement because he knows his Daddy loves him and because he loves his Daddy. That's why he wants to be like him. None of us would make that statement about someone who is unkind or whose life is not winsome and worth imitating. There would be no point.

Our Father in heaven loves us immensely. It was His love that led him to make a way for us to be saved. It cost Him his only beloved Son.

"but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

God's love changes us. Once received, it takes root and begins to give us new desires, new hopes, new dreams.

And for David, and perhaps in our case too, for the first time in our life, we can say:

"I want to be just. Like. Daddy."