Maggie's Story
by Jane Hinrichs "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the spirit of adoption as sons."
Galatians 4:4-5
God asked me and Shannon to join Him on this adventure of adoption last September for many reasons. The biggest reason of course is a little girl named Magdelena but there is another reason. And it is the same reason He has called you to endure what you are enduring or why He is leading you to
do certain things: it is to show Himself to us in a new way. He is
Perfect. He is limitless and through everything that comes into our lives we have the opportunity to learn more about our Father in Heaven -- how His love for us goes beyond anything we can understand but He will use everything to show us new aspects of His love if we allow Him too.
Let me tell you this story from Magdelenaıs perspective (at least how I think it probably goes). She lives in a colorless and drab building. This is her world. There are people there who care about her very much and provide her needs and take care of her as best they can but eventually they go home and are replaced by different workers who do the same thing. They too go back to their homes.
And then one day which was like any other day Magdelena is given a bath, her hair is brushed, they put her clothes on and feed her breakfast. They clean off her face and carry her to a room she has never been in before. There are two strangers in this room who seem to be very happy to see her. The people she is used to leave her in this room with the strangers. These
strangers speak a different language than she is used to. She doesn't understand them but she can tell they love her.
She begins to feel happy in their presence and realizes she can be free with herself with them. They give her small gifts and they take her outside-- a place she has never been before. It has a ceiling that is blue and doesn't end. There are beautiful noises and songs she has never heard. Everyday they come back and she begins to fall in love with them. There is something different about them. Even though she just met them things aren't drab and colorless when they are around. She begins to feel like she wants
to stay with them.
Then one day they come and she feels a sadness with them. These big people are still loving her but they look sad in their eyes. They aren't talking as much. They hold her and just look at her. Something isnıt right. The worker comes to take Magdelena back to her room but Maggie doesn't want to go with her. These loving people reassure her it is okay and go with her to her room. One of them takes her from the worker and just holds Maggie.
But then she puts Maggie in her crib and says some strange words Magdelena hadn't heard from her before and this person has water in her eyes and it is running down her cheeks. Maggie knows these people who changed her world are leaving. She cries and wonıt be comforted. She now has seen and felt that her world could be different. She doesn't want to stay in the colorless drab place.
But, here is the second part of that story:
It is just like any other morning for little Maggie. She is bathed and dressed and fed. But something is different in her drab world. It seems there is something trying to burst through the colorless place -- what is itshe cannot understand. So, she just watches and wonders not being able to do anything about what she is sensing.
And then light bursts in. The front door is opened. Sunlight pours into the dingy green room. One of the loving people are back. Little Maggie remembers. This loving person takes Maggie in her arms. Is she going to leave again? No, the loving person holds onto Maggie and carries her out the door. They get into a thing this person calls a car and they go very very far. Little Maggie doesn't understand what is happening but the loving person is taking her along. She feels that she gets to stay with this loving
person. The drab world is gone. Her new world is so full of light, full of colors she has never seen; tastes she has never tasted; sounds she has never heard. Everything is brighter and bigger and more beautiful. She is now in a new world to stay.
*******
I wrote this from Maggie's perspective on her adoption to illustrate our perspective on our spiritual adoption. Whenever we chose to say yes to Jesusıs gift of forgiveness and salvation He was there and we then entered a new world. We couldnıt comprehend what it cost Jesus to be able to offer us this gift of salvation. Even if we have been Christians for years we can
only understand a small part of it just like a child who has been adopted can only eventually understand just a fraction of what their parents had to do legally to allow that child to become theirs.
There is so much paperwork and cost and pain and waiting and tears and frustration and sadness in getting the legal system to say, "Yes, this child is yours." But when all the requirements are met that same legal system will say, "That child is your child." The legal system doesn't see a difference between the child who was adopted and the child who was born biologically
into a family. When you are someone's child no matter how you got there, you are that personıs child by law.
God wanted us to be His children so He had to fulfill the Lawıs
requirements. The only way to do this was by sending His Son Jesus, having him born of a virgin, growing up in a world filled with sin -- a world much drabber and dingier than we fallible humans even know -- and then killed on a cross as a criminal. On the third day He came back to life and then in that glorious moment the way was open for God to adopt us when we say yes
to Him.
It isnıt the way we would have chosen or maybe the way God would have chosen for the requirements to be filled but the Law is the Law. We would have loved to just bring Maggie home. And I guess if we could have taken her and somehow gotten her on the plane and brought her home she could have come home with us but she wouldnıt have been ours. The only way for her to become our daughter is for us to fulfill the requirements of the Law.
And we are gladly doing it. She wonıt know all that we had to do but we would do all of it again and do even more if that is the what the law required just so we can bring her home.
God's love for you is so much more than our love can ever be for our children. And He will do and has done so much so you can come home. But what is different about spiritual adoption from physical adoption is that you, the child, choose if you want to be Godıs child. Maggie has no choice. She will be our daughter because we chose her. You have a choice. God has chosen you but you have to say "yes." If you haven't He is waiting. He has
done all the work to make your adoption possible. He has done everything. You just now have to say "yes" and come home.
He says, "Please come home. Please. I've done it all. I've made the way. You can leave your lifeless drab world behind and enter into the world of life and love and joy and contentment. You just have to say yes."
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