Sunday, July 17, 2011

Stairway to heaven

You have received a spirit of adoption, Paul writes, into the family of God. It is the same as adopting a child into your own family, a process that I am familiar with.
When you start the adoptive process, you undergo a home study. It's a very emotionally challenging time, a journey similar to Jacobs journey in todays Old Testament lesson. Jacob is on a journey and he is exhausted. He has an idea of his destination, Haran, but it is a long one and probably frought with peril. Jacob stopped to rest, and while he was dreaming he saw angels going back & forth between heaven & earth. Angels are the messengers of God. To carry the imagery of the home study further, they are like Gods social workers. They can bring you news of a child or delve deep into your psyche, probing the nether regions. Sometimes their messages are unwanted, like we don't have a placement for you, sorry.
Psalm 139 is a continuation of the home study process: you have searched me out & known me. Adoption is a journey, with many resting places. Much time is spent waiting: for word of a child, for your family to be complete.
There are many moments of darkness and feeling abandoned as you are on the journey. The reasons why you started the journey in the first place; the moments of feeling alone, abdoned, afraid.
In Romans 8, Paul wrote that in following Jesus, we have received a spirit  of adoption. It's the culmination of the process. Just as becoming a Christian is the end of one journey and the start of a new one; the same as with adoption. Once you get that call that you have a child your life as you know it ends. You embark on a new life path as a parent.
You need to sow good seeds with you family. The outside world and negative influences are the weeds that the enemy has sown in your field. You have to make sure you have done your best separating the weeds from the wheat. It's hard knowing if you did a good job while you are in the midst of parenting, but if you lay the groundwork you have a better chance of success. The angels you met at the beginning of your journey will be there along the way to help you sort the good from the bad.

I'm linked up here:
MomsTheWord

2 comments:

momstheword said...

I like the parallels that you drew. Imagine if you were so caught up in the process of adoption that you totally ignored the child once it was placed?

You'd be so focused on the journey that you would not even appreciate the reason for it.

Thanks for participating in Making Your Home Sing Monday meme. If you could place a courtesy link back to my blog so that others could join in the fun I'd appreciate it, thanks!

Richella Parham said...

Hi!

What a lovely post. I can only imagine the process you're going through. What a blessed child to be placed in a home with parents who have so patiently waded through the adoption process. And how blessed we are to have a loving Father who adopted us into His family!

I appreciate your linking this post with Grace Imparted! I wonder if you would do me a favor and link back to the party. I'm just getting started, so I need to get the word out about Grace Imparted--I would really appreciate a link back if you have time. Thank you!