My husband, Rob, and I have been married for the last 12 years. As some of you may know, we met while serving on a medical mission trip in Central America. What you may not know is that when Rob was three years old, he and his biological brother were abandoned by their birth parents. They subsequently spent about one year living in an orphanage in South Korea. Because of God’s grace and a couple named Matt and Maureen Furno who had a desire to care for orphans, both boys were adopted.
I am so grateful that Matt and Maureen proceeded with adoption despite any fears or reservations and that they raised Rob in a loving, Christian environment in rural Wisconsin. Rob’s life was transformed as he went from an abandoned toddler at a gas station in Korea to being a successful physician, businessman, loving husband, devoted father to our children, and man of God. Even though Rob had a difficult start in life, he is thriving today because of the gift of adoption that God lovingly planned for him.
Dr. Russell Moore, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and a parent with adopted children, encourages Christians that adoption is “part of our Great Commission mandate and a sign of the gospel itself.” For Rob, it was through his adopted parents that he heard about Jesus. Rob has not only been adopted into a physical family in the United States but was also adopted into a spiritual family as he came to understand the truth of the gospel.
Some of you reading this might have had a difficult start in life, too. Perhaps you were abused, mistreated, neglected, or unloved. While this grieves God’s heart, each of us can live with hope today because of the sacrifice of Jesus. He came to earth and died on our behalf so that we might have a new life in Him (2 Cor. 5:17).
For those who are in Christ, we have also received the gift of adoption into God’s family. Because of God’s love for us, “he predestined usfor adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:5–6). As God’s sons and daughters, we can clearly “see how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 NLT).
While Rob still struggles at times with thoughts of his abandonment as a child, the truth is that he was never without a loving, caring, gracious, and merciful heavenly Father (Ps. 68:5). Rob’s story is proof that God can redeem any life and that all of us, no matter where we started out or who raised us, can become an adopted child of God through Jesus Christ.
To all my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, I hope this video encourages you and results in praise to our Father for the glorious gift of being adopted into His family.
As you watch Rob’s adoption story, it’s also my prayer that all of us would ask God how we can care for the orphans living among us today (James 1:27). Besides adoption, there are many ways we can help meet the needs of the orphans in our cities and neighborhoods. We can pray for orphans, give financially, or provide support through foster care. For more ideas, you can check out this article from The Gospel Coalition on “21 Ways to Get Involved In Orphan Care.” I’m so glad Matt and Maureen asked God this question so many years ago and extended the gift of adoption to Rob, which for me resulted in the gift of an incredible husband.
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