Read: John 15:7-17
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (v. 13)
In my mind, this experience was over. It was just too hard. This had been my vision and I was asking too much of the others in my family. The four of us sat in a circle to talk. As I tried to convince them why we shouldn’t go forward with the adoption, they stunned me into silence:
My 12-year-old son: “I’m willing to share my room, even though he might get into my stuff. I don’t really care about stuff. He can play with anything of mine he wants to. Besides, if there’s anything really special, I’ll hide it.”
My 11-year-old daughter: “I’ve looked at my life and his, and his is pretty bad. We should take him in.”
My husband: “Alright, Ben says that he wants to go sailing with us, but I understand the reality. He might not sit still for six minutes let alone six hours. Maybe God wants to teach me to be okay with that. I think we need to go forward.”
Scripture talks a lot about costly love. Loving one another in life as Jesus loved his disciples and us costs you something. While relinquishing our physical possessions, recreational time, and space hardly compares to Christ’s ultimate act of love on the cross, it seems this was the least we could do for one little boy. The vote was clearly yes. —Tammy DeRuyter
As you pray, ask the Lord for opportunities to demonstrate his love.
About the Author
Tammy DeRuyter is a former stockbroker turned student of theology and history. She holds master’s degrees in both from Fuller Theological Seminary and Central Michigan University. Married for more than 25 years to Michael, an ordained RCA pastor, they have three emerging, young adult children ages 20, 21, and 22—the youngest of whom was adopted at 11.
