I was three years old, trying to sit still in the back seat of the family station wagon with my older brother Matt. We were chatting excitedly, each of us describing how we would love our new little sister who we were finally about to meet. “I will do puppet shows for her,” Matt stated proudly. “I will love her and like her and help Mommy change her diapers,” I replied in a motherly tone.
Eager Anticipation
For months, we had been waiting for this night to arrive—the night we would pick up our four-month-old baby sister from the airport. She was flying in from Seoul, Korea. Mom and Dad had shown us her picture and told us she was going to be a part of the family. We could hardly wait.
Once at the airport, we waited for what seemed like hours for her flight to arrive. The anticipation was almost unbearable. I began to grow sleepy and rested on some chairs at the gate. Suddenly I heard my dad exclaim, “Here she is!” I remember a beautiful pink bundle being placed into his arms and a grin spreading across the chubby little face of my new sister, Melinda Lhee Faust. With tears in their eyes, Mom and Dad took turns cradling her in their eager arms. She beamed at them, her dark brown eyes shining. I looked at her in amazement and knew I would love her and like her forever. To this day, I have never forgotten the utter joy of that moment.
Lavish Love
Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” I love to think of myself as God’s adopted child. He chose to adopt me with pleasure. I remember the look on my dad’s face while he gazed into the eyes of his beaming new daughter. He chose her. He loved her. He cherished her.
Being adopted means more than acquiring a new name. Rather, being adopted is becoming a member of the family, with all its privileges and responsibilities. I am thankful beyond words to be God’s daughter, adopted into his family, and loved lavishly by him. |L
Michelle Webster lives in Okeana, Ohio with her husband Charles and their two daughters, Abigail and Kayla. She and her family are involved in the Harrison site of LifeSpring Christian Church. Michelle is the daughter of The Lookout’s executive editor, David Faust.
