The Deeper Meaning of Gotcha Day

Beyond the cupcake sprinkles and splash pad sprinklers, there really is a deeper celebration to our Gotcha Day.  Of course we want to have fun with our sons and create special memories associated with our family’s anniversary, but we also want to take pause to remember the foundation of it all.  There are glorious Biblical truths daily looking back at me through the deep brown eyes of my children.

The Bible is replete with verses illustrating the beautiful allegory of our adoption as Christians:  

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”  Romans 8:15

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5

What strikes me most about these verses is that onus of action rests on God alone.  He is the Giver; those of us who are believers in Christ are but recipients.  He acted, He chose, He purposed.  We received, we were drawn, we were accepted as heirs and children of God.  What did I do to merit God’s favor?  What good works did I put forth to earn his acceptance? 

What did this scrap of a child possess to attract our attention?

During the seemingly endless adoption process, was this sweet boy toiling and working away to secure his place in our family?

The answer seems so obvious when I look at these helpless babies.  Completely unaware of everything that we doing on their behalf to bring them home to us, they didn’t do anything, present anything, or convince us of anything in order to be loved and chosen. We loved our sons because we chose them. We chose our sons because we loved them. Is God not the same toward us?  God loves us because He chose us.  He chose us because He loves us.  Even the very act of loving our sons comes from beyond us.  We love them because God first loved us.  We chose them because God first chose us.  He is the Actor, the Initiator, the Author.

June 23^rd is not only Micah and Samuel’s Gotcha Day.  June 23^rd is in fact my Gotcha Day as well.  It’s the day fourteen years ago that God grabbed a hold of my heart and helped me to understand that I didn’t have to be “good enough” to earn my place as a child of God.  My every shortcoming, failure, and sin was made right and forgiven in Christ’s perfect life and sacrifice on my behalf.  I am no different from those vulnerable babies in need of a rescuer, desperate for someone to fight for them and do what they couldn’t do for themselves.  What I could not do for myself, God did and invited me to rest in His sufficiency.

So thank you, my sons, for being a daily testimony to me of these gospel truths. 

Thank you, Micah, for reminding me with your laughter and smile what a joy it is to be called a child of God.

Thank you, Samuel, for reminding me with your snuggles and hugs how sweet intimacy with my Father is.

Thank you, my Heavenly Father, for allowing me to receive the Spirit of adoption as your child.  Thank you, my Abba, for allowing me to receive these boys as my own children.