It’s certain that no one this side of heaven can wrap their minds around all that God is, or does. He’s way too big to fit in our tiny intellectual and theological cubby holes. But He does give us glimpses.
In fact, sometimes, if we quiet our noisy hearts, we’ll discover Him in the midst of our everyday lives, whispering, “Listen. Look. I’m showing you who I am.”
As we pursue the deep and mysterious, we must be careful not to miss the glorious beauty of the simple and obvious.
For example, I regularly see a clear, poignant picture of God’s tender heart in two little guys named Joshua and Caleb, the twin sons of good friends. Every time I see these boys, I am reminded of the sweet, powerful lesson I believe God sent them to teach.
Josh and Caleb began their lives as Kenny and Vince. Sounds more like a couple of tough guys than a pair of baby boys living in a Filipino orphanage, doesn’t it?
Greenwood doctor Larry Holmes, his wife Billie, and their three children were missionaries for several years in the slums of Manila, Philippines. They helped out at the orphanage some, and it didn’t take long for babies Kenny and Vince to thoroughly capture the hearts of the Holmes family. Before they moved back to Greenwood, Larry and Billie adopted the twins and gave them new names to match their new destinies.
Anyone who has attempted international adoption knows it’s not easy. Many legal hoops to jump through. And starting over with two toddlers was a daunting prospect for my friends, whose youngest child was already a teenager.
But an amazing thing happens to folks who are yielded to God. His desires become their desires in a supernatural exchange that infuses the believer with a love that is so compelling it trumps human fears and misgivings.
Simply put, God transplanted a piece of His heart for Josh and Caleb into the Holmes; His love became their love.
When I see these happy, healthy little boys, I think of what their lives might have been like if Larry and Billie had not rescued them, painting faith, hope, and love on the canvas of their lives.
Then I think about my own life, and what it would have been like if God had not rescued me. You see, I was once a spiritual orphan. My heart was independent, lonely, disillusioned, and doomed. I believed God existed, but I sure didn’t know Him … or particularly want to.
But God relentlessly went to work on my orphan heart, coaxing me to see that He is not a dusty set of harsh rules, but a loving Father with a passionate desire to adopt every person who will open his or her heart to Him.
I did. My Father brought me in from the cold to live “in the house” with Him; He changed my name from Orphan to Daughter; and He put His seal on a glorious inheritance and destiny for me.
Josh and Caleb don’t yet understand the miracle that occurred in their lives when the Holmes took them in. But I know the miracle that occurred in my life when God adopted me 30 years ago, and every time I see these little guys, I’m reminded of that miracle of mercy.
“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” — John 1:12