Chosen

“What great love the Father has lavished on us
that we should be called children of God!”
1 John 3:1 (NIV)

Last week we celebrated our two youngest granddaughters birthdays with an Evans’ family party. It was happy chaos as 9-month old Charlie, our only grandson, joined his older cousins, all girls ages 1-14!

Birdie James’ birth two years ago was God’s answer to so many of our family’s prayers. Her first name means “light,” while her middle name honors both of her grandfathers and her Uncle James Bruce. Birdie has brought great light into the darkness, loss, and grief that accompanied infertility. Her adoption opened up a whole new world for our entire family. Our three oldest granddaughters gained a much-prayed for cousin. My son and his wife received a beautiful daughter. Our other children gained their first niece and Bruce and I received a beloved granddaughter.

During Birdie’s first year, I prayed what seemed an impossible prayer asking God, if possible, to give our family another child. Of course, I knew that God could, but I didn’t know if he would. Twelve months and four days after Birdie was born, her sister Poppie arrived. Birdies’ birth was an answered prayer; Poppie’s birth and adoption was an absolute miracle! These two girls are not only adopted sisters; they are also biological sisters.

Five months after Poppie’s birth our family returned to Judge Allison Boyd’s Shelby County courtroom for another adoption hearing. Before signing the final adoption decree, Judge Boyd reminded us that from that moment on Poppie would have a new name, a new birth certificate, a new identity, and a new family. 

I was struck as I listened to the judge’s words at how much the girls’ earthly adoptions reflect on a small scale the reality of what happens when anyone turns from sin and turns to Christ. We immediately get a new name. We who are sinners are now declared to be saints, not on the basis of what we’ve done, but on the merit and sufficiency of what Christ did on the cross. We also get a new record, a new family, and a new forever home.

J.I. Packer, author of Knowing God, writes:

“Adoption, by its very nature is an act of free kindness to the person adopted. If you become a father by adopting a son or daughter, you do so because you choose to, not because you are bound to. Similarly, God adopts because he chooses to. He had no duty to do so. He need not have done anything about our sins except punish us as we deserved. But he loved us; so he redeemed us, forgave us, took us as his sons and daughters, and gave himself to us as our Father.”

Packer continues:

“What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father…Everything that makes the New Testament new and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. “Father” is the Christian name for God”… Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption. God has One Son by nature, but many sons by adoption…Adoption is a Christian’s highest privilege.”

King Solomon once wrote, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain (Psalm 127:1). God has many different ways to build families. Adoption was one of the paths he chose for us and we are so very grateful. There will never be enough “thank you’s” for God’s providence and provision in bringing these two precious children into our family. There will also never be enough “thank you’s” to the birth mom who chose to give the girls life and then chose to give them a chance at a good life.

Happy Birthday, Birdie and Poppie! You are chosen and called to belong (Romans 1:6). We love you very much!