If you’ve seen our name several times since we started our
organization, either on Facebook or on our blog, there are probably two things
you think when you see it. 1) Oh neat, fundraising for people who are adopting!
And 2) why in the world have they named it “reclaimed” and what is that little
doodad in the middle?
Just like in naming your own child, there is so much thought
that went into our organization’s name.
I am so excited to share with you what the name stands for, and what it
is that we hope Re{claimed can accomplish.
The go-to verse in church circles regarding adoption is
often James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is
this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world.”
Of course, the verse is in regards to widows as well, but for our
purposes today, I am going to concentrate on “orphans.” It is clear in many other areas of the
Bible as well, that God calls us to help children, especially those who are not
cared for. I have always
been interested in orphans and adopted children… I had good friends growing up
that were adopted. As a child of
the 80’s, one of my favorite movies was “Annie.” Those after-school specials (or soap-operas) raised that
question that some either feared or begged God for – is this my REAL
family? Was I adopted? (dun, dun,
dunnnn) Adoption also had a harsh
tone to it. My generation is
probably one of the last where adopted children did not have much information
growing up regarding their origin.
I had my first encounter with orphaned children on a mission
trip to a third world country.
Their ages ranged from 3 to 17 years old. It was a Christian run orphanage, and even though they
longed for earthly families, they were taught and truly believed that they had
a Father who loved them. A Father
that HAD adopted them into His forever family. (Forever Family is a term used to describe when a family has
legally adopted a child, as opposed to a foster family.)
Fast forward to 2011, Katie and I longed to do
something. Katie was in the
adoption process… a long process, as some of you know. And I have always been inspired and
felt God moving me to take some type of action, even if we weren’t quite ready
to adopt. God didn’t say in
James 1:27 that some people have the “gift” to take care of orphans &
widows. It is something that is
requested to “keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” I translate that in the millennium to
mean – keep yourself from getting the gimmies and thinking the world revolves
around one person…me.
So, if my husband and I weren’t in the place to adopt right this second,
and Katie & her husband were still in waiting, we seemed to feel God was
calling us to DO something.
Katie had a friend working hard to raise money to adopt a
child from Ethopia. She asked
if I would be willing to help her host a craft night where we supplied the
crafts, sold tickets to guests, and a majority of the profits would go to the
family. We were tired of
“fundraisers” that only gave 20% of the profits to families, and thought,
maybe, just maybe, people would only need an excuse to get together.
So, the idea was born. It was small, but it was fun. As we talked after the first
event, we wondered if people would give more money if they received a
tax-benefit. Running a non-profit
(501(c)3) would mean a lot more planning, but it may work!
When we started our brainstorming session, we talked about
how adoption wasn’t just something that was label for certain kids. It was something that all of us who
have trusted in Jesus as their Lord and Savior should understand, and have
everything in common with earthly adopted children. We read Ephesians 1:3-8 “For
he chose us in
him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. 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.”
There were
three things that stuck out to us.
Chosen – Just like a
family goes through the process of choosing a child, our Father chooses
us. There is just something about
being chosen, isn’t there? It
means you are valued, you are needed, and you are important. Think about a time when you were chosen
(maybe in that 4th grade gym class? :-) ). It really is something special.
Adopted – In the
process of seeking out a child, many are chosen, but not all are immediately
adopted. It is a process…a long,
legal one. It is a momentous
occasion for that child. It means I
belong to you. You want to
care for me and I will always be yours. I have a new name, a new identity; legally and
relationally. God says that when
we believe in His Son’s sacrifice for our sins, His raising from the dead,
and return to heaven (John 3:16), we are HIS.
We are adopted into His family.
Our old ways, our life wandering in the darkness searching for love
and meaning, is over. It,
also, is a momentous occasion.
It’s in “His pleasure”!
Others that we have preceded welcome us with open arms. We have a home waiting for us in
eternity. Sometimes the process,
on our end, is long, but thankfully, there is no waiting on God. The “legal” process is quick and easy. :-)
Heirs – This topic
is often forgotten or overlooked, but SO very important. Becoming part of a family means that
you are an heir. I love the story
of a friend that was adopted, and her adopted grandfather left her an
inheritance when he died, just like all of the other children. It wasn’t about the money, but that she
was responsible as an heir to continue a good name, and was, indeed, family in
every way possible, no matter what the blood work says. I hope every child is accepted into an
entire family in this way, but I know we live in a twisted, sinful world. The greatest part about our adoption
into God’s family, is that we are His HEIRS.
Ephesians says that through Him we are redeemed with “the riches of
God’s grace that He lavished on us.”
I could go on using the next verses as well, but for now, we see that we
have inherited His grace. The most
unbelievable thing is that we get access to that grace, even before we get to
our heavenly home.
Chosen + Adopted + Heirs = Re{claimed
Reclaimed is defined as ‘to rescue from an undesirable
state.’ It also means to ‘regain possession of.’ The unique part of God’s adoption, is that we are coming
back to Him. We believe that we
were created by Him (Genesis 1-2 and Psalm 139), but chose to sin, setting us
apart from Him. Even though we ran
from Him, He invites us to return, and accept all His riches in grace, love,
and eternal life, if we chose to.
Have you thought about how we are all adopted before? God uses the amazing picture of earthly
adoption in families to paint His masterpiece of love, grace, and
acceptance. That is why we are all
called to be involved in some way.
That is why Katie, myself, and our newest team member, Jenny, feel
called to help.
“Many hands make light work,” right?
And a few dollars add up to many more dollars…
Maybe you haven’t given to this cause because you can only give
a little.
Maybe you haven’t given to this cause because you didn’t
know anyone that was adopting.
And maybe you haven’t adopted, because the mountain of
finances seemed insurmountable.
Our goal is to erase all the excuses, for ourselves and for
others. Our purpose statement is
this:
Helping
to bridge the financial gap between adoptive children &
their
families by engaging the body of Christ.
Have you thought about engaging your church, your family, or
friends by supporting adoption and orphans in some way? Maybe it is by becoming informed. We are always baffled by how little the
general public understands about adoption. Is it creating a special church fund? Is it hosting a fundraiser for a
specific family?
Hopefully, through our blog and fundraising events, we will
educate you more on adoption. In
the meantime, pray for God to show you how He would like to use you in regards
to “caring for orphans & widows”.
May God lavish His grace upon YOU today as you revel in the
gift He has given us.
Have a great day!
~ Kelly
p.s. the little
squiggle thing in our logo looked like a little hug to us! LOL So we thought of the prodigal son returning to his father’s
embrace and it seemed a fitting addition to the word Re{claimed.
