I’ve had several friends and family members who have gone through the adoption process. One of the things I’ve noticed, especially when older kids were adopted, is that some assimilate into the family and others struggle with it. The ones who struggle have accepted that they’re legally sons and daughters of the couple, but emotionally they’re still in the environment where they came from. They tend to hoard food, expect disappointment and sabotage the relationship because they have the expectation of being on their own again. They may be in a new home and family, but they struggle with their identity and mindset. It’s heartbreaking to see. It’s a long process to help them retrain their identity.
In Exodus 16, Israel had been freed from Egypt after having been slaves for 400 years. They had left Egypt quickly, but they were struggling to get Egypt out of them. They complained about their conditions constantly on their way to the Promised Land and often said they had wished they were still in Egypt. One of the ways God was trying to help reshape their identity was to give them manna from heaven each day. They could get as much as they needed for the day, but not more. They had come from scarcity and God was leading them to abundance, but their mindset needed to change. God was telling them He would meet them daily and supply their needs. They only needed to carry what was necessary because they didn’t need to fear an unknown future. They were sons and daughters now and no longer slaves. The first generation struggled with that concept and wouldn’t assimilate. They died in the wilderness rather than in a place of abundance.
Galatians 4:7 says, “Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir” (NLT). When you accepted Jesus, you were adopted by God. You are no longer a slave to sin. However, many of us fall into the same category as those above. Were legally His children, but emotionally we struggle to assimilate. God wants to lead us to a place of abundance, but He can’t if we’re stuck in our old mindset. We must retrain our identity. Find one area of your life where you’re struggling to let go of because of where you’ve come from and ask our Heavenly Father to help you trust Him in that area. While your legal status with God changed in an instant, the process of becoming like Christ takes time and is retrained a little at a time. Let God help you retrain your identity so you can live like a son or daughter of His. You are His own child.
Photo by Anna Keibalo on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 