The Bible teaches us that all of us have run away from home, rejected our parents, and are trying to figure life out on our own. We have basically all become orphans. Scripture teaches that God chases after us, adopts us, and gives us a name, purpose, blessing, and provision.

However, I think most Christ-followers struggle with adoption.

I was watching on the news about how a family who adopted a child from Russia and brought him into their home. They gave him a name, a room, a home, and provision, but it was too difficult for him. The little boy had spent so long in an institution that he was unable to receive the love the family had for him. It became so difficult for the family that eventually they sent him back to Russia.

For many, we have lived for so long as orphaned children it is difficult to receive the love that God has for us. We know all the things we have done wrong, thought, and not done right, and we struggle to believe that God could really love us that much. Because of that struggle we kick and fight and resist and say we want to be free, we want to do what we want, we want to do it our way and try to keep God at a distance.

However, as difficult as it might be for us God never stays at a distance. He doesn’t threaten to leave us. He doesn’t threaten to send us back. It His glory and His love for us that compels Him to keep chasing after us. We might resist Him at time and talk about wanting to be free, but He keeps chasing after us and reminding us that our greatest freedom is when we are close to Him, in His home where there is safety, provision, love, and protection.