It is hard to believe that Easter is just one week away. I love Easter…not for the cute little bunnies….not for the chocolate…but for the fact that it represents our Resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! What an amazing thing to celebrate!
As I have spent time reflecting on all the Biblical events surrounding Easter, I can’t help but see how they are correlated with the process many of our adoption children go through. You are probably thinking…how can you tie those two together? Let me explain.
On Good Friday, all those years ago, Jesus Christ was crucified and ultimately buried in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea. Prior to his crucifixion, He was brutally beaten and mocked. He was placed in that tomb with deep scars in his flesh, a spear pierced side, and nail pierced hands and feet. He paid the ultimate price through the loss of his life.
Many of the children that are adopted have deep scars as well. I am primarily speaking of emotional scars as many of them have witnessed things in their young lives that are far beyond their years. Some have suffered physical abuse, others have witnessed one or both parents dying, others have had severe malnutrition, and still others have suffered horrible diseases. At a very minimum, every adopted child experiences loss which is often accompanied by feelings of rejection by their biological families.
God’s plan was not for Jesus’ story to end at the tomb. Instead, early on the following Sunday, an angel of the Lord descended from heaven to roll away the stone to reveal an empty tomb! Jesus had come back to life. Let me say that again…Jesus had COME. BACK. TO. LIFE. He wasn’t just alive. He was physically and mentally whole….even appearing in the flesh to those who had loved him so deeply.
Just as it wasn’t God’s plan for Jesus to stay in the tomb, I firmly believe it’s not His plan for our children to live out their lives as an orphan. These children come into our families from these hard, difficult places, but God loves them to their very core. He desires to use us as adoptive parents to relay that deep, unconditional love to these broken children in a variety of ways.
Just as the Easter story is a powerful miracle, the love of God being poured into an adopted child’s life can produce a miraculous transformation. These children that were once in despair without hope get to experience the restoration of physical, mental,and spiritual health through the love of their adoptive family. I am not trying to gloss over the fact that there will certainly be bumps in the road as these children heal; however, I have personally witnessed restoration in the lives of many of these children just as Jesus was restored in His resurrected life.
So as you celebrate Easter this year, please pray about how God can use you to help bring restoration to an orphaned child’s life. Adoption is just one avenue, but we are ALL called to care in some way(James 1:27). May God pour out His richest blessings upon you this Easter as you celebrate the fact that “HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!”.
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