And so it begins...

Jim's post 12/26/2009 7:30 AM

Christmas was great. In fact the whole holiday season was a lot of fun. We got to do so many of our special Snyder traditions and we have all been healthy. But now our focus shifts, not to something completely unrelated to the season or the excitement, but to the next gift. This gift is one that has been, and will continue to be, given and received by so many. Our “little” family, big family, friends and an amazing number of casual observers are all captivated by this gift. It’s a big gift. It’s like the big gift under the tree that stirs anticipation and wonder in everyone. Everyone sort of knows what it is, but the details are unclear. So we wait until it is completely unwrapped.

Today is the day that we begin in earnest to unwrap this gift. To this point I honestly haven’t been able to distinguish the wrapping from unwrapping, but today we are ready to start pulling the wrapping away. The really cool part is that so many have a part in this. Many are not only part of the unwrapping but they are part of the gift itself. This gift we have given the name “adoption”. Its literal meaning is clear, but doesn’t come close to describing the gift.

This gift is given by God: A new home, father, mother, brother and sisters, grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, and cousins; a new son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend. To some the gift feels like hope and some see it as an opportunity. I think there’s something powerful in this that compels people to be more of what they were made to be. This presents an opportunity for people to care and serve and pray and encourage, a rare moment in life where selflessness comes a little easier.

And so it begins…