A person can spend a lot of time watching videos on the internet, but one particular kind of internet video can really make you feel good. In one of these videos, a young woman gives her father a present. After he unwraps the box, he finds some papers inside – adoption papers. The young woman explains that while he has acted as her father for many years, she would like him to officially become her father. The man breaks down in tears and grabs his daughter, hugging her tight. You can find other videos where children find out they are being adopted by their foster families, and videos where young men say they want to change their last name to match the man who fathered them in the absence of their biological father. In each of these videos, the surprised party begins to sob in gratefulness and joy. We see the creation of a new family, a family that has already been in process but now will be recognized officially.

God wants to adopt us into His family, as Ephesians 1:5 says. We have biological fathers, but He wants to be our heavenly father. He wants to give us His name, His identity, His family. Then we belong to Him, because He has chosen us. What joy comes with accepting God as our Father and being welcomed into His family! God wants to adopt everyone into His family--let’s spread the news so we can gain brothers and sisters in Christ.                 

This is Andrew Palau.