Today, I have two apparently random thoughts – adoption & the wisdom of Mr. Beaver. Sometimes the randomness of my brain is acute, but indulge me for a couple of paragraphs. I think there’s a point at the end (plus some Narnia quotes, which are always nice).
The usual highlight of my work day is coming into the office and checking my mailbox. On fun days there will be a large envelope inside containing a new application for an adoption grant. This is why Families Outreach is here, to get the privilege of sharing in these families’ stories- to get to play a minor role in them bringing a child into their family. For most of this year, we’ve had a nice steady stream of applications arriving – 4-5 a month – which has been great. But, over the last month or so, something weird has been going on, wonderfully, awesomely weird. Instead of the usual 4-5 grant applications a month, we’ve been getting 4-5 a week. Yesterday – new application. Today – new application.
This brings me to Mr. Beaver, (from Narnia, of course) and his supreme wisdom – Aslan is on the move. The passage in the story goes like this:
“They say Aslan is on the move – perhaps has already landed.”
And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning – either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in his inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Chapter 7
Getting to be involved in working with orphans and adoptions inspires each of these responses within me. Seeing families, individuals, and churches taking the steps to care for the fatherless points to our King being on the move. It is a great honor to witness God at work in adoption; exciting to behold and sobering in the magnitude of what is being done.
Find out the best place to become involved and join this story. Jesus is on the move. Every child adopted into the love of a family bears witness to the fact. Intertwining our lives with caring for the fatherless isn’t necessarily the easy or safe choice, but we’re not called to an easy or safe discipleship. We don’t follow an easy or safe King.
The ever wise Beaver sums it up nicely:
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy. “Safe?” said Mr Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Chapter 7
He’s good. He’s King. He’s on the move. Let’s join him.