I have always belonged. To a family, a church, a group of friends. I have grown up as a daughter, a sister, a grandchild, and a niece. Now I am a wife, a mother, and an aunt. In other words, I have always been somebody to somebody. I have always belonged. 

Because of this blessing, I grew up not fully understanding the significance of my adoption into God’s family. It wasn’t until I moved to Haiti and began working with orphaned youth who grew up never truly belonging, that this truth began to bare weight in my life.  

You see, in Haiti, one out of every 15 children is a domestic slave. They are called restaveks, which in Creole means “to stay with”. In other words, a restavek is a child forced to stay with their owner. A child who is owned, but does not belong.  

Being in relationship with youth who have grown up within this system, I have come to learn that the best way to show someone who God is, is by showing them the belonging they can have in God and within his family. This isn’t always easy. Leaving behind a life of slavery (literal or spiritual) requires faith, trust, and often a whole lot of therapy. But as daughters of God, who are ministering all over the world, it is our mission to invite others to become our adopted siblings, giving them a place to belong within our Christian family. 

This looks differently for all of us depending on where God has planted us and what he has called us to do there. But regardless of our vocation, let us all be women who share this hope with others. This hope that through adoption, they no longer have to live as orphans or slaves. Rather, they can be adopted into God’s family with God as their Father and you and me as their sisters. What a beautiful family in which to belong!