Running
our social media accounts for our adoption has become a part-time job. Here’s what we do:
1. Think of a relevant new post that showcases our everyday life and provides variety from previous posts.
2. Take quality pictures or videos that are bright and action-packed.
3. Write, revise, and format a caption.
4. Add hashtags.
5. Post to Instagram and Facebook.
6. Repeat at least every other day – daily is best.
It’s a lot of work. But we do it in the hopes that our birth mother will be able to find us easily and quickly once she is ready for us.
In the meantime, it’s tempting to put too much hope in the process itself. We believe God has called us to adopt, and we have been doing everything we can to make ourselves ready and available for that. God’s Word is clear that His people are to be people of action – He uses us to bring about His purposes. But we can easily slip from active pursuit into misplaced trust. We start relying on ourselves, on institutions, or on a formula to produce results instead of keeping our trust and hope in God and keeping our hearts surrendered to His will.
Isaiah 40:18-26 (and many other passages) shows that the people of Israel were also tempted to trust in the work of their own hands over the one true God. The culture around them offered dozens of idols to choose from – they could bow to any number of created gods (made from materials God created by hands God created using the skills God gave) and not have to hear or obey anything they didn’t like. With idols, they could make their own rules and ideas about what God was like, and they could maintain the illusion that they could control their lives by manipulating God to get what they wanted.
But God is not like any created thing we can see or imagine. He is the Creator, and He is far above anything that we could compare Him to. Even the most powerful people of the world pale in comparison: “They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and they wither. The wind carries them off like chaff” (vs. 24). We aren’t comfortable with that kind of power. A god we can hold in our hands is more manageable and less terrifying than One who holds the universe in His.
Thankfully, our God is also a personal being. There is a tenderness that comes through in verse 26 as God calls each of the stars by name and loses none of them. This passage leaves no doubt that God is strong, powerful, big, and sovereign. But He also cares about His creation and knows every detail down to the number of hairs on your head. He deserves our trust not only because of His great ability and authority, but because of His love.
When we had nothing to compare Him to – no frame of reference for Him – He lowered Himself and entered the world as a baby. He lived among us and died a degrading criminal’s death by the very hands He came to save. Jesus is the only tangible picture we have of what God is like (Hebrews 1:1-3). He showed us what strength under control looks like and what power without abuse looks like. He has the power to bring about His purposes in our life, He is in control over everything, and we can trust Him with that power and control. We are foolish when we let our hearts wander into relying on people, work, and things. Only He is worthy.
“And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.”
(1 John 5:20-21 NLT)
“And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”
(1 John 5:20-21 NASB)
