An Adopted Family

Almost 19 years ago, my family, while living in Venezuela, was approached by a pastor who knew of a 15 year old girl that was due to have a baby "any day." Knowing that we had expressed an interest in adopting a child, he contacted us. Already having two girls in our family - myself and my sister, Missy - we were kind of thinking of adding a boy to the mix. The baby due to be born, however, was thought to be a girl, but we didn't care. We wanted to proceed on.
From the time we were approached, to the time this baby girl was born, we had about a week and a half to prepare for her arrival. My parents were 40 at the time, and in the event they are reading this...they are STILL 40...not a day over it! :) You can imagine that we didn't have the first thing for a baby in our home. I was 15 1/2 and Missy was 13. Our baby stroller, crib, and diaper days were over! We called on our missionary family to help us out and everyone rallied together to provide what they could so that we could welcome a new bundle of joy into our home.
The day came to welcome this new little girl, named Esther, because that was her biological mother's and grandmother's name...and also the name these two women studied about in the Bible when they prayed to receive Christ and desired to see this baby put in a Christian home. Baby Esther was born right at 5 lbs., and quite literally was the smallest baby I had ever seen. Being a family of giants, you can imagine how small she looked in our arms. I remember my parents bringing her home and I was overtaken by love that I didn't think I possessed for one that was not blood related to me, yet penetrated the very core of my heart with a love that only sisters can know. I was, without a doubt, smitten with this baby! I thought I would be afraid to have her come into my life, but all of that was swept away when she was placed in my arms and I gazed on her jet black hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. She was MY baby sister and I, at that moment, would have done anything in the world for her. We named her Kathryn Elizabeth Ann Cashion. She became "one of us." She did not, for one second, ever NOT belong to our family. God made her just for us to love and cherish all the days of her life.
Remembering this time gives me great joy because God, too, made us His own. He created us in our "mother's wombs" and "knew all the days ordained for us before one of them ever came to be." He becomes our ABBA, Father...our Daddy...when we allow Him to take up residence in our home. Just like Katie became a resident of our home, God has done the same for us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to take up residence in our hearts (our home)...to become love to us in a way like none other could give it. You know, we had not even seen, heard or held Katie and yet we loved her. In the physical sense, we have not seen, heard or held Jesus, yet we, too, can love Him. With faith and trust in the One who gives us life, we have One that wants to know us and love us unconditionally. Are you feeling without a home today? Do you feel like your dwelling place is not a dwelling place at all? Are you characterizing your day, or your life by lonliness? Grab hold of the One who loves you most. Call, cry out, bawl like a baby for your Lord today. He is there to fill you up, to make you whole.
Katie continues to be a blessing to our family today. The love just keeps growing and growing for her. God does the same. He never stops being the ultimate love giver. Take some time today to let Him wrap His arms around you and just be His child. He wants to be your Daddy.