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A discerning moment

Steven Curtis Chapman remembers the defining moment in his life 'when the Gospel of Jesus Christ became amazingly clear to him' (Shannon Baker, 'Father’s Love,' 29 December 2004, Baptist Press, bpnews.net/). That was when he, his wife Mary Beth, and their children Emily and Caleb and Will Franklin adopted Shaohannah, from China, as part of the family. Steven says of it:

'Until we adopted Shaohannah, I didn't fully understand the depth of what Jesus has done for us. I was hopeless, without a future, without a name ... then Jesus came into my life, gave me hope and a future. He gave me a new name.'

That was when Steven suddenly realized: 'I am adopted!' Adoption is the Gospel of Jesus Christ; it is the 'visible Gospel' (John Piper). 'Adoption is the perfect picture of what God has done for each of us in making us His children through Christ.' When we adopt, we are living out the Christ in us.

After three adopted daughters from China, the Chapmans set up Shaohannah's Hope, a non-profit organization to help families adopt children in the US or abroad, providing information and financial help. They want others to share in the delight of discovery that we are all adopted in the first place. Being adopted is not a curse; it is a blessing from the heavens.