For Marissa Cope of Heroic Media, the pro-life battle that saved her from abortion didn’t happen at the door of an abortion clinic. While such clinics often get the majority of the attention, Cope’s biological parents didn’t make it that far with their unwanted pregnancy:
It's because someone shared with my birth mother about the option of adoption that I am alive today and had the joy of becoming a mother myself this summer. Through my pregnancy and in the moment I met my baby girl, I gained a new and deeper appreciation for the selfless love that is embodied in motherhood and particularly in adoption.
I was born out of what I imagine at times felt like a hopeless situation, but because of God's providence in giving my biological parents the courage to give me life, I have a life defined by hope. I want other people to have that life, to see the picture of redemption and hope painted by God in Christ.
God has given us an indescribable gift in adopting us as sons and daughters. And I believe you will find that the gift of participating in the earthly version of adoption is a pretty fantastic fringe benefit.
Adoption serves as a powerful reminder of God’s grace by pointing to the true root of what it means to be “pro-life.” God sent His Son to save us from the death we deserve (Romans 1:32), and transferred us, as adopted children, into His Kingdom (Colossians 1:13). That’s crazy-good news.
When Christians adopt and help parents with unwanted pregnancies find life-saving alternatives, we’re seeing the Father’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In other words, we’re truly pro-life when we remove the need for abortion by our sacrificial efforts. We take away the need to destroy life and give all the reason we can to save it, just as Jesus saved ours.
Show Hope, a ministry founded by Steven Curtis Chapman, works to help Christians do just that. Executive Director Scott Hasenbalg and Chapman recently sat down to discuss how they promote and champion adoption with ReligionToday.com:
ReligionToday.com: Show Hope: Helping Families Help Orphans from religiontodaydotcom on GodTube.
How have you been impacted by adoption? Share your stories and thoughts in the comments.
John UpChurch is the senior editor of BibleStudyTools.com and Jesus.org. You’ll usually find him downing coffee at his standing desk (like a boss).
