finalized

It's official.

Actually, as of December 26th, 2012, Destiny and Jasmine became officially and finally permanent members of our family. No foster care. We're a family now. We celebrated it together yesterday, one month from the court's approval. We're finally all a "forever family." How crazy is this?!

Wow, here's the blog post that reflected those very first thoughts in my mind that even hinted toward adoption. And now... we're looking back at how much God's done with just a few willing hearts and an open door. We're looking forward to what He's going to do through incapable people who belong to a capable God.

It's finalized. Done. Permanent. Concluded. Decided. Accomplished. Finished.

It is finished. 

Sound familiar?

Our adoption of Destiny and Jasmine is not the adoption that has been finalized. John 1:12 says it: "But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God."

 We didn't do anything to deserve His approval, much less His pursuit of us. In fact, we shoved Him away, we spit in His face, we disobeyed over and over again, we hated His creations, we disgraced Him. And His reply? Sending Himself. Living. Taking the punishment. Dying. And crying out, "It is finished."

In His death, we have been justified. The punishment we deserved was taken in full. And in his resurrection, we have been saved. In simply accepted His grace, our adoption has been finalized. And nothing, "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) It's finalized. Done. Permanent. Concluded. Decided. Accomplished. Finished.

"In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us." (Ephesians 1:5-6)

My brothers and sisters in Christ, take comfort in that this week. You are permanently, unchangeably saved. You never deserved salvation, therefore your failings and weakness now can never discredit you. Grace is grace is grace. 

Let's make our family bigger.