This Sunday is Orphan Sunday, and we're celebrating at Calvary in the morning services, and later on in the day, we'll be showing the live webcast of the Orphan Sunday event in Nashville. Come on out. . it's at 3 pm in Boulder.
This week we've looked at many aspects of adoption, but I think the most important, or helpful, aspect of adoption is how it helps us towards self-forgetfulness.
Whenever you have a child, he/she is a gift from God that helps us get over ourselves and our selfishness. This is something we all need, especially in America. Suddenly "important T.V. appointments", "me time", and "guy's weekends" take their proper place in our life because we have someone to take care of, and someone whom we are responsible for.
With adoption it's doubly helpful because 1) your kids get to join in the self-forgetfulness, and 2) our favorite methods and prideful attitudes towards our parenting have to die if we're to raise the new child in a biblical way.
Every child is different, and I have no idea about Malachi's family, his emotional makeup, what his needs are, etc. . So, I have to lay my preconceived ideas about parenting and my comfortable places down and learn about who he is.
We've come a long way in knowing that . . . but it's still bizarre to not understand where he's coming from sometimes. With my biological kids, I know exactly why they are struggling with something or acting a certain way. That's because I see myself in what they're doing, and all of my flaws are on display. Well, lucky for Malachi, he's got another set of genetics there, and so we have to figure him out. This is a humbling thing, to be sure.
Now, he will grow into our family and follow us in our good things (and bad things) eventually, but that takes a little while.
I've also seen my kids developing more of a servant's heart as they have someone new in the family that they need to love and serve as their brother.
So, it's been a win/win as we die/die to ourselves. I really hope all of you get to participate somehow in an adoption sometime in your life. Sadly, there's plenty of kids to go around (4 million in Ethiopia), and plenty of loving, self-forgetfulness, and humility that we all need.
Happy Orphan Sunday!
Aaron
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