Do
you want to adopt? There are quite a number of people who are unable to have a
child of their own and they opt for adoption. I wonder how people stay
motivated especially in light of the long process that does not guarantee that you
will get the precious gift. There is so much process involved that one may even
consider giving up. Hold on, don’t give up just yet! Adoption
is an act of love toward one who does not necessarily deserve the privileges
that you wish to afford them; the act certainly does something to the one being
adopted as well as the one who adopts. Imagine being at an orphanage or foster
home for years and no one seems to be interested in you, that is what most
children have to face daily.
Adoption
means that the child is now like your very own; you provide and care for them
as though the child is from your own bosom. I remember a time when we were
looking for a dog; we wanted one just the right age (not too small and not too
experienced) it had to be just right. Well we could not find one, God sent one.
Just about 6 and 1/2 months, this puppy was abandoned, he had an owner who was
quite negligent of him and often the puppy followed people just to get a crumb
of bread.
One day
the pup followed us home and we gave him some bread, which was the only thing
we could offer him. Everyday this pup would come to our gate; we’d open up for
him and give him food and water. So we decided that we would buy him dog food
when we did our shopping, and we did, however; the puppy was nowhere to be
found, he had disappeared for a week or two and every morning and evening like
the father of the prodigal son, we would look outside the gate hoping to see
our little friend.
One Sabbath
morning, after a stormy night, we were having breakfast when we heard a bark at
the gate. Hurriedly we looked outside and yes, it was him, he was back. Most of
the weeks he was away, we prayed for his safety, we hoped he was still alive
and would come back, though not human; he had already touched a chord of our affection.
Matt went to open the gate and he (the pup) sped through to the usual place
where he would find food and water, but we noticed that he had a large scar
probably through some kind of abuse or accident. What a joyful experience it
was for us to be able to nurse him back to health.
We
kept him with us for about a week, however; he seemed depressed, it’s logical we
reckoned he missed his owner, so we decided to contact his owner, but he was
pretty much indifferent about the dog and his condition as well as getting him
back. For about a month of fostering the puppy (buying him food, a house toys
and spending time with him), we did not know whether the owner would claim him
(we hoped he would not). We decided to make an arrangement to talk to the owner
regarding snoopy, and we were glad to learn that he wanted us to keep him, but
through that simple encounter about a dog the owner has expressed his desire come
to church with us (we did not invite him and we did not tell him we were
Christians).
2
Samuel 9 dawned on our minds, the very expressive story of Mephibosheth. How
undeserving he was of King David’s consideration, yet David adopted him into
his family. What sense does it make? Isn’t that our state? “Behold what manner
of love, the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of
God…Beloved now are we the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall
be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall
see Him as He is.” 1 Jn 3:1 God sent Jesus Christ to come and live with us and
among us, in order to save us. He decided he would adopt us into His family
through redemption.
Just
a side note, “And God said; let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and
let them have dominion (“a
territory or sphere of influence or control; a realm) over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Gen 1:26 God has given
us dominion, and dominion means responsibility. It’s called stewardship, you guessed it, we
are also stewards of God’s creatures. Who knows
whom God might send your way? No one is beyond the reach, the mercy and the love of God. In our case God used a puppy in order to give us
joy, but more importantly for us to indirectly appeal to the man’s need for a
Saviour. Be careful who you turn away from your door step. “A righteous man regardeth
the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs
12:10.
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