Abba, Father

Galatian 4:4-7

God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, ⁵so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. ⁶Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" ⁷Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

I'm just trying to comprehend what it really means to have been adopted by God, to be His child, His beloved child.

The only way my limited mind can begin to understand this is to look at my relationship with my child, Naomi, who is now 5 years old. As a mother, it is natural to care about my child. I make sure she has all her basic needs, that she goes to a good school, that she gets her favourite food, that she's entertained during the school holidays, and the list goes on. As parents, we want to make sure our child is happy, healthy and fulfilled.

Last Monday public holiday hubby and I took Naomi to Hillary beach. It was a hot day, so we spent nearly the whole day just hanging out in the shade, by the water, while she played with other kids. Well, she was actually playing by herself because she has no other sibling. From the beachside we kept watching her following two other girls about the same age as her as they were playing with each other. She seemed pretty contented just watching them and following them, and every now and they seemed to interact with her, making her feel welcomed.

As we sat watching her, hubby and I felt kinda sad for her. We felt sorry her, not having any brother or sister to play with, and her cousins happen to be out of town. Otherwise we would normally take them with us. We watched her for a good 15-20 mins, and all of a sudden, hubby stood up and he said, "That's it! I'm going to play with my baby!" and he went.

If you know Victor, you know that he is naturally tanned, well... almost dark, and he hates it (although I think it's cute). Therefore he would do anything to stay out of the sun, and that's exactly what he did the whole time we were there. So for him to step into the water, to play with Naomi, was kinda sacrificial. It simply showed that he loves her, that he loves her dearly, and that he cares not only about her basic needs, but also for her emotional need, well being and happiness.

If we, who are human, flawed, sinful, and sometimes bad and evil, can do such things for our children, then imagine how much more God can do for His children. I just dont think we can comprehend with our little mind, the depth, width, height, and measure the love of God for His children. I mean... He gave up His only Son for us! What can be more sacrificial than that?

The great news is, this actually applies to everyone who choose to believe. It doesnt matter who you are, where you're from, what you've done, what you used to believe, who you used to worship, or how bad you have been. Nothing matters! God's waiting for you to accept Him as your 'Abba',... your heavenly Father.