In the year 2004, our anticipation and excitement were at their zenith. After my husband parked our car at the crowded airport, we hurriedly make our way through weary travelers and excited first-time fliers in search of the correct disembarking gate. After almost a year of preparatory work, and months of anxious waiting, we were about to meet our new grandchild! You see –our daughter and son-in-law had adopted a precious little Guatemalan baby girl, and we could not wait to welcome her into our family!

As we watched them make their way down the crowded concourse, our hearts swelled with instant love for the darling, five-month-old ‘beauty’ our daughter was holding against her chest. Praise God for this indescribable blessing! But each us can have an adoption that is more exciting, more unbelievable and of paramount importance. Each and every one of us can be adopted into God’s family!

Imagine an adoption without having to do anything! Without having to search for a reputable adoption agency – one that will guide you through the tortuous reams of paperwork, all the while interpreting the ‘legalese’ that accompanies the adoption process. Praise the Lord, there is such an adoption, the adoption into God’s family! “for ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26) What an incredibly simple statement, ‘just believe and accept’. No interrupter needed.

Imagine an adoption without background checks, fingerprints and required photos – all compulsory requirements. Praise God, there are no obligatory forms requiring age, birth date, career status or yearly income. God does not require a background check or fingerprinting. He has a complete dossier, if you will, on each of us, including the number of hairs on our heads, and our every thought. “Can any hide himself in secret places that I (God) shall not see him?” (Jeremiah 23:24) God sees to our very core.

Imagine an adoption without the endless months of anxiety and anticipation, without enduring tension-filled months while awaiting legal finalization. There are no deadlines to secure God’s approval, nor are there anxious moments surrounding our acceptance. A waiting period for adoption into God’s family does not exist! Scripture tells us, “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) Salvation is immediate and our adoption into God’s family instantaneous!

Any adoption is a significant, serious and costly decision. A decision that, when addressed in personal terms, involves boundless love, tender care, and lasting devotion. It is also a transaction that, when addressed in monetary terms, involves thousands of dollars, dollars that may require financial sacrifice for the adopting couple. Praise Almighty God, our adoption is FREE! The sacrifice has been made and the price paid by the precious blood of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ! “For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold…but with the precious blood of Christ.” (I Peter 1:18-19)

Our family’s newest member has unconditional love, but the overwhelming love put forth by her father, mother, grandparents and other family members cannot begin to match the depth of God’s love, a love that provides eternal life (salvation)! His love brings with it everlasting forgiveness (Colossians 1:14), eternal mercy (Ephesians 2:4,5), and unending care and comfort (Luke 12:22-32;; John 14:16). “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (I John 3:1). The very moment we accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior we become heirs to the Kingdom of God.

Sadly thousands upon thousands of children will never have the opportunity to be adopted, an extremely heartbreaking reality. Still, a million times more devastating is the tragic and deliberate rejection that so many choose to practice when denying Jesus Christ. Instead of embracing the glorious promise of adoption into God’s family, many will simply ignore this blessed hope, thus missing the immeasurable riches awaiting them as heirs to the Kingdom of God. “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:7)

Nancy Hamilton