Up until I was 9 years old, I lived in horribly dysfunctional circumstances where my siblings and I had to fight to survive. There was no discipline and therefore no boundaries. Our abusive father had split and our mother was an alcoholic and emotionally unavailable. When the four youngest of us were finally removed and placed in foster care, it was like being saved from hell and placed into heaven. The problem was, we were totally unfamiliar with proper behavior. We were like feral cats.
I thank God that our foster father was a Christian! He did not threaten us or lay any laws down for us. He would involve himself in our activities and keep a watchful eye out. Whenever we screwed up, (spoke a filthy word, were mean, lied, cheated, hit, ignored his instructions, etc.), he would remind us, "
We don't do that." And he'd show us the right way.
His continual reminder that
we were a part of him, that we belonged to him and that everything we did included him was the sweetest thing we had ever heard! And it slowly but surely became truth to us that he was in actuality our genuine father. That truth set us kids free! My father's love convinced us that we were 100% loved and approved of him no matter what we did! He made us love being like him! It was a joy to follow in his footsteps and to see our father smile at us! And whenever he introduced us to others, he never said "foster" children. He said MY children.
♥
When the kids at school teased me about being a foster child, my father prepared me to answer this way: "My father chose me."
I loved proclaiming that answer because I knew it was true!
The Lord our God is our eternal, loving father and that's how he conforms us into his spiritual image day by day. God doesn't demand that saints in Christ try to follow strict laws or to always feel threatened of separation or be afraid of harsh punishment. God reigns in his children, faithfully guides us like a gentle shepherd, and reminds us we are already ONE with him through Christ. God's love never fails!
If your eyes are on your outward man, if you're trying to appease God, trying to be acceptable when you're already accepted, you are walking in unbelief, walking in the flesh, and in your own understanding. If your eyes are on the Lord, if you believe he's reigning in you at this very moment, then you know Christ has indeed set you free.