The negative connotation of being adopted
One of my nightmares as a child was waking up one morning and being told by my beloved mom that I was adopted. It's kinda strange and funny at the same time. I can remember asking my mom if I was really her child; she would then laugh at me and show me the stitches on her lower abdomen where I came out during cesarean delivery.
I don't know why I thought of those things back then; a contributing factor could be the tragic Filipino dramas with adopted children as protagonists. Children have no control over the environment they are in. It's just that there are too many adopted-child-themed dramas before.
There would always be those scenes wherein the parents would tell the truth to the child. It would then be followed by an emotional breakdown and eventual rebellion of the child, asking why he/she wasn't informed earlier, as if it's the adoptive parents' fault for taking care of him/her.
Whenever I watched those scenes, I always felt sorry for the adopted child. I could only wish that I'm my parents' biological child. It's undeniable that our society, the mass media at the very least, thinks that adopted children are inferior to biological children. There are even popular memes across the internet that depict this view:
"Did you know that you're just adopted?"
"I will never forget the day when they admitted that I was adopted."
"What if I told you ... that you're adopted?"
What does the Bible say about being adopted?
As a Christian, I strongly disagree with this belief. Just what is it that makes people think that adopted children are less than their biological counterparts? Is it because their genes don't match their parents? Will such genetic differences make them undeserving to become genuine children of their adoptive parents?
According to the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. There are numerous verses on it, but I will just pick a few:
Matthew 3:16-17
When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Psalm 2:7
I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 5:19
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
We Christians are actually considered as "adopted children" of God.
Romans 8:15 (NKJV)
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:23 (NKJV)
Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
John 1:12 (NKJV)
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
We are undeserving to be God's children, but because of His love and mercy, he made us joint heirs with His Son. This is truly something to be grateful for. It shows how much God loves people, especially those who received Him.
Romans 8:17 (NKJV)
and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8:29 (NKJV)
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moses himself is an abandoned child who was later adopted by an Egyptian princess. He was left in a basket on the Nile River to protect from being killed when the Egyptians ordered male Hebrew babies to be killed.
Exodus 2:3
But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.
Acts 7:20-22
At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.
"Hiro", the adopted, but beloved son
A relative of mine is an adopted son. For convenience, I'll refer to him as Hiro. Hiro is 20 years old now, but his family does not have any plans to tell him that he's adopted. They're scared that their only son might question his identity and look for his biological parents.
It is not possible for him to find his parents and be recognized as their son, because he is a child born out of infidelity. His adoptive parents' last encounter with his biological parents were in the hospital where he was handed to his new parents after delivery.
Hiro was raised by his parents well, treating him like he's their own flesh and blood. He grew up to be a kind, respectful, loving, and smart young man. While others would argue that it is better for him to know the truth about his past, I understand his adoptive parents for choosing to keep it a secret.
After all, what good would it do him if he knew that he's not his parents' biological son? Will anything change? The only thing that might change is Hiro's view towards himself and his family. He might feel inferior, especially if he discovers that he is a product of his parents' sinful acts.
What kind of parents would want to subject their beloved child to such a heartbreak? What's done is done, and nothing will change even if he learns the truth about his identity. His parents never looked at him like he was a stranger - to them, he's their only child whom they dearly loved and would give their lives for.
They would never want him to feel as if he's unwanted and shouldn't have existed in the first place; how would he be an unwanted child, if his parents adopted him and raised him as their own? The fact that they hid the truth from him proves that they only want to shield him from heartbreak, and not to deprive him of something.
Being adopted is something that should be cherished
If we think about it, being an adopted child raised and loved like one's own is something special. For most people, it is not difficult to love one's own offspring. Loving another man's child is another issue, which explains why being adopted is negatively viewed in most cultures. An adopted child by his/her blood relatives could experience discrimination at home and made to feel bad and guilty for causing them problems. It's as if the child wanted to be an orphan in the first place.
Thus, if someone is adopted and loved like he/she's the blood and flesh of his/her parents, it is truly something to be thankful for, and not to be angry about once the truth is revealed. Adopted children such as these should never rebel against their parents nor feel as if they're incomplete or unworthy because they were not raised by their biological parents.
The old saying, "blood is thicker than water" is unbiblical; the Lord Jesus Christ himself opposed it:
Matthew 12:48-50 (NKJV)
But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
We Christians are never ashamed that we are God's adopted children. Through his love and rich mercy, we were given the right to become His child and co-heirs with Christ, His only begotten Son. Who in their right mind would even feel anger and resentment towards the people who adopted him and treated him as their own child? Love and gratitude are the only things left to feel.
[DISCLAIMER: Photos are not mine. All rights go to their respective owners.