Adoption in Christ

As my last post said, I lost my mom about a month ago. I've been struggling with her death more than I did with my dad 4 1/2 years ago. I've been trying to figure out why and the reason I've come up with is because now I feel like an orphan. I know it's completely different...I'm almost 46, this is the "natural" way of things. However, by a pure legal definition, any child that loses both parents is an orphan, regardless if they are an adult or not.

So I've been struggling feeling alone. I've been wanting to talk about what happened as I was taking care of mom. I realized a little while ago, I've experienced a very mild level of trauma that I have to process. I didn't experience this when my dad passed.

I was struggling so much that I asked the Elders and Deacons to allow me to take a short 3-month Sabbatical. I realized I needed time to think, pray, and process.

I love how our loving Father meets us in our heartache and pain. At church last week my pastor was giving an Ascension Day message. In it he talked about our adoption a few times and I realized I'm not an orphan! I have found so much comfort in the Heidelberg Catechism at different times in my life. One of the Q&As I've been comforted by is #26

Q.What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth”?

A.That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who out of nothing created heaven and earth
and everything in them,1
who still upholds and rules them
by his eternal counsel and providence,2
is my God and Father
for the sake of Christ his Son.3
I trust God so much that I do not doubt
he will provide
whatever I need
for body and soul,4
and will turn to my good
whatever adversity he sends upon me
in this vale of tears.5
He is able to do this because he is almighty God;6
he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.7

1 Gen. 1–2; Ex. 20:11; Ps. 33:6; Isa. 44:24; Acts 4:24; 14:15
2 Ps. 104; Matt. 6:30; 10:29; Eph. 1:11
3 John 1:12 – 13; Rom. 8:15 – 16
4 Ps. 55:22; Matt. 6:25–26; Luke 12:22–31
5 Rom. 8:28
6 Gen. 18:14; Rom. 8:31–39
7 Matt. 7:9–11

I have adopted kids and I love them as much as my biological kids. God's love for me is FAR and ABOVE way more than I could ever show my kids! Beloved, the same is true for you!! We cannot overestimate that love for those found and adopted by that "almighty God" as our "faithful Father"!