It’s easy to know through scripture that we are adopted by a Father in Heaven who loves us unconditionally.

Knowing and believing are two different things.

Believing is an issue of the heart. If I know I’m adopted in my mind, I can still have an issue believing it in my heart.

If I don’t believe this, my heart is that of an orphan. I become self-reliant. I take on the responsibility of “being happy”… or worse, relying on other people or things to make me happy.

I don’t feel accepted. I am constantly striving. I become insecure, fearful, and overly sensitive. I feel abandoned, rejected, and neglected.

If I DO believe that I’m a son, I receive it fully through the Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8). I am at peace knowing that there’s nothing I can do that will ever separate the love that God has for me.

I feel confident and safe. I discover my true identity as it’s revealed by the Holy Spirit who lives in me. My soul can rest.

It’s pretty amazing that we get the freedom to choose what we believe… and with that freedom comes the responsibility. Danny Silk, the author of Keep Your Love On says “when we break down the word ‘responsibility’, it’s as simple as this: my ability to respond.”

Love is a responsibility. Love changes things. Once we choose to receive the adoption and love from God, our Father, then we get to walk it out in our work, our relationships, and the people in our lives. We cease striving and contending. We stop putting the responsibility of meeting our needs and longings on other people to do their part, and we take the responsibility of doing our part to manage ourselves.

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