God's Adoption for the FatherlessSample

Day Three – Isolation vs. God’s Family

Psychiatric studies (beginning in 1915 through the 80s) found that babies under the age of 2 can die from lack of physical contact. While those children were fed and warm, they still died from a lack of basic affection.

We were created for intimacy with God and others. The one “problem” with the perfect Garden of Eden was that Adam didn’t have a partner. God fixed that with Eve.

Orphans that were adopted as infants still struggle with feelings of abandonment and rejection later in life, even more, so children old enough to recall the trauma of being removed from their parents.

This causes deep wounds because we were created for love and family. With those wounds, however, many begin to expect that people will abandon them. Therefore, the best solution is to do everything alone.

The lie – We don’t need anyone. We can do it all ourselves.

That isolation often leads to addictive self-medication to address such loneliness, whether through substances or activities. Those never satisfy us, and we are left in a state of depression and despair. We push others away.

The Truth – God’s dream is to have us in his family and place us in healing relationships with himself and others.

Everything is about relationships. The greatest commandments are to love God and love others, and the world will know we are of God by our love for each other. Vulnerable confession in a community of faith heals us.

If our healing comes through intimacy with God and others, it’s no wonder the Devil attempts to isolate us. We must renew our minds to the truth of God’s dream for a family and intentionally participate in a healthy community of faith.

People who deal with this lie have a difficult time believing others want to spend time with them. We must overcommunicate the truth of God’s love, notice when people disappear from the community, and reach out to them.

God expanded his family (the Trinity) to include us, and we express the Gospel to others the same way. That means we invite others into our homes and everyday lives, sharing our family with people.

Father, thank you for including me in the love and oneness of the Trinity family. Help me to intentionally reject isolation and to further expand my family to include others as evidence your love is real. Amen.