All That the Father Has

by David Lins  |  11/20/2022  |  (Being) Catholic Matters

Being an adoptive parent is a strange and wonderful rollercoaster.

Few people know that in the state of Arizona, the birthmother is required by law to wait three days after giving birth to sign the paperwork. Let me tell you, those three days are incredibly emotional. Every time the phone rings, you fear that it will be someone notifying you the birthmother has changed her mind and wants the child back. Meanwhile, you are trying to protect your heart, but holding your new baby makes that an impossible task.

Then, the paperwork is signed and the real adventure begins.

People who don’t know about the adoption tell you things like, “She has your eyes!”

You silently think, “Nope. But she certainly has my heart.” Instead, you just say, “thank you.”

And I can’t blame them, I often forget she is adopted. I cannot fathom loving her any more if she was my biological child.

But I have to admit, it has occurred to me that any money or material possessions we manage to accrue are going to be hers, even though she isn’t biologically related to us. She did nothing to “deserve it” or “earn it.” And yet, I am so honored to be able to give her all that I have.

This weekend’s second reading (Col 1:12-20) includes the words, “Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance… He delivered us from darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”

We are God’s adopted children, and this is something that is worthy of celebrating. People have said Georgiana “won the lottery getting us as parents.” I would say they got the phrase completely backwards, but even if there is a grain of truth in it, I’m nothing in comparison to our Heavenly Father.

We, as God’s adopted children, haven’t won the lottery. We’ve won the kingdom, so long as we don’t reject it. And Our Father wants nothing more than to give us all that he has.

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