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June 5, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
God's Gift of Family Grace, by Phil Ware
Sometimes the stories behind the scenes are the main story. Our church
was packed, and the excitement was electric. But the best story on this
Mothers' Day was unknown to most in the crowded sanctuary. Crammed onto
one big row was a family only the Lord, through His grace, could pull
together.
More than two decades earlier, a new Christian found out she was
pregnant. She had found the Lord as part of a campus ministry at a
major university. While her parents wanted her to come home so they
could care for her -- but only if she would leave behind her new church
commitment -- this young pregnant woman decided to stay with a family
involved in the campus ministry. After much prayer, she lovingly
decided to share her daughter -- we'll call her Erin* -- with a
Christian family longing to adopt a child. This was no small decision,
but one she believed would bless Erin and honor her commitment to the
Lord.
Now on Mothers' Day Sunday, more than two decades later, this mom sat
on the same row at church with her parents. Joining them was Erin, the
daughter she placed through adoption so many years earlier. Also
joining them was the case worker who helped with the adoption process.
Even a member of the family where Erin's mother had lived while she was
pregnant was part of the group. The day before, they had all been
together with Erin's adoptive parents celebrating celebrating her
graduation from college.
Such a sweet, God-provided reunion happened because of two powerful
loves -- love for the Lord and love for a baby. Only now, the baby was
a young lady who graduated from college the day before and was bringing
her big, extended family with her to her church. Those of us who knew
could barely speak because of the emotion and lump in our throats. What
a sweet blessing of grace. What a beautiful glimpse of the reunions
that will be ours in heaven.
While I can never know the depth of love or emotion that goes into a
woman's decision to share her child through adoption, I deeply
appreciate it. That's why I am on the board of a group that helps make
these kinds of opportunities for birth moms, babies, and adoptive
families possible.
Several years ago, I began to give a gift to honor each of my dads on
Fathers' Day. Yes, that's plural -- dads. My physical father died 28
years ago and my mom re-married a great, godly man who is also my dad.
Rather than spend money on a tie my father would never use or on golf
balls my dad would lose, I decided to give a gift to Christian Homes
and Family Services, in honor of my dad, to help an unborn child find a
dad and mom through adoption. Now I encourage other folks to join me in
this effort through a program called "Tied to Life."
I believe that it is absolutely crucial for those of us who are
pro-life to also make sure we are providing the opportunities for birth
moms and babies to know that life means an opportunity to become all
God has made that child to be. So I'd like to encourage you to join me
in taking part in being "Tied to Life"! You can find out more about it
online:
http://www.christianhomes.com/tiedtolife/index.html
I believe that it is absolutely crucial for us!
And if you are already supporting an endeavor like this, then I want to
encourage you to use Fathers' Day as a time to give them some
additional support.
Either way, I can assure you from this Dad's point of view, I couldn't
ask for a greater gift on Fathers' Day than a bucket of chicken, a few
hours to watch the US Open, and an envelope that says I'm "Tied to Life"!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
* Out of respect for her privacy, we have not used her real name.
Do you have a personal story of adoption's blessings?
Do you have any personal messages you would like to share with a birth
mom considering adoption as a good thing for her baby?
I'd love for you to share it with me on my blog:
http://www.thephilfiles.com/2008/05/18/special-grace
---------
(c) 2009 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Connecting the Dots
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200705/20070510_dots.html
* Hope and Joy
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200504/20050416_hopejoy.html
* Born and Adopted
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200508/20050819_bornadopted.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200906/20090605_grace.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
SEE THE MORNING, by Chris Tomlin
Award-winning artist Tomlin offers a whole new set of soul-inspiring
easy-to-sing songs about God's faithfulness.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?260
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
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