Somewhere in China, a woman has learned that she is
pregnant. Like virtually every other couple in China, she and
her husband dreamed of having a son to carry on the family
name.
The Chinese government forbids couples from having more
than one child. As a result, baby girls are valued less than
boys.
If the mother learns that she is carrying a girl, she may
decide to give the child to an orphanage in a big city like
Shanghai or Nanjing.
One day in the not-too-distant future, a little girl with
this very background will become our daughter. Her American
name will be Rebecca Lee. My wife, Jenny, and I will take care
of her and cherish her in the same atmosphere of love as we
now show to our two biological sons, James and John.
Orphans are dear to God's heart. "Pure and undefiled
religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans
and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted
from the world," the apostle James, half-brother of
Jesus, says in the epistle bearing his name (1:27).
Spiritually speaking, all of unredeemed humanity is
orphaned -separated by sin from a loving God who yearns to be
a father to every person in the world. Through Christ's death
on the cross, God has made a way for all to be adopted into
his family.
In several places in the New Testament, the apostle Paul
writes that Christians experience this adoptive relationship
with their Heavenly Father.
"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent
forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem
those who were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth
the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba,
Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if
a son, then an heir of God through Christ," Paul writes
in Galatians 4:4-7. (Parallel verses can be found in Romans 8
and 9 and in Ephesians 1.)
The Hebrew word "abba" is an endearing term that
can be translated "daddy." What an incredible
thought -Christians can refer to God as "Daddy."
As anyone who has ever adopted a child will tell you, the
documentation process is long and arduous. What follows after
months of running around to obtain birth and marriage
certificates and other documents is months of waiting. This
time can be frustrating, especially if there is an empty room
decorated in anticipation of the arrival of the newest member
of the family or if the adoptive parents cannot have children
of their own.
But for virtually all couples who begin the adoption
process, their love for this child -a child whom they have not
yet met nor even seen a photograph of -is strong enough to
make the delays and disappointments more tolerable.
We began our paperwork pregnancy in March 2001. Nine months
later, our dossier - two inches of documents containing
information about me and my wife, family photos, and a lengthy
home study -was delivered by a representative of the American
World Adoption Association (AWAA) to the China Center for
Adoption in Beijing . It now sits with 14,000 other dossiers.
According to AWAA, if China processes adoptions at the current
rate, we expect to be traveling to Guangzhou in February to
pick up our little girl.
Even though our adoption seems to be progressing slowly -it
will be 23 months from start to finish -we are confident that
God has this process under his control. We believe he has it
all planned right down to the last detail.
Psalm 139 describes the intimate knowledge God has about
every unborn child. The Psalmist, writing about God's plans
for his own life, reveals: "For you formed my inward
parts. You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your
works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not
hidden from you when I was made in secret, and skillfully
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my
substance, being yet unformed. And in your book they all were
written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were
none of them" (Psalm 139:13-16).
I am looking forward to holding my little daughter Rebecca
in my arms and experiencing the various emotions associated
with loving her. I can't wait to hear her say, "Papa,
wo ai ni." (Daddy, I love you). It will remind me of
how God feels when one of his adopted children says, "I
love you, Abba."
Gregory Rummo is a business executive who belongs to
Madison Avenue Baptist Church in Paterson, where he also
serves as choir director. You may e-mail him at TheRecordReligion@northjersey.com
RELIGION