MADE WHOLE

One of the prayers we have prayed over and over for our adopted children is that they be made whole. I imagine many of you reading this blog have prayed the same for your children. Adoption is a beautiful and powerful thing, but we have come to realize over time that the love of a family is not always enough to bring wholeness. Coming to wholeness is a process and it is our joy to partner with God in such a glorious transaction! 
Remember the story of the 10 Lepers from Luke 17:12-19? It's the one where Jesus heals these ten men from their disease, but only one returns to Him to give thanks. Take a closer look with me--
I think there are some treasures for us parents here as we pursue wholeness for our children!

As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 

 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.
 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?  Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”  And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

Sozo

I'm sure we are all teaching our children to be thankful-- it is a high value for us. But there's more to thankfulness than I realized. I have heard that there are three different words used to describe the healing of these men in this scripture. When Jesus first heals these men He uses the word for healed that means "cleansed." Then when the one man realizes that the leprosy is gone, he uses the word that means "cured." (translated healed above) 

And then, when that man returns to Jesus to thank Him, Jesus uses this powerful word, a different word from the ones used before, when he tells this dear man to go on his way because he has been "healed"-- Sozo.

Sozo is an awesome word, filled with power! It means "to save, heal, preserve, make whole." It's the word used in the New Testament to describe salvation. 

You Are Made Whole

So, I have been thinking about this as it relates to our efforts as parents to help our children receive wholeness. This issue of being thankful seems to be a key for them, and for us. God has brought them into a family and given them the love of a mother and father along with all the benefits that come with such a position. Not unlike the lepers, our children have experienced something significant in God (the lepers were cured and cleansed; our children were brought out of their orphan state). But oh how I long for all of our children to hear the words of restoration from Jesus, "You are made whole."

The One

Notice Jesus' expectation is that all nine would have come back--  "Where are the other nine?" Jesus asks. I firmly believe that God's will for all of our children, yours too, is that they come to complete wholeness! There is no doubt in my mind about it, despite the efforts of the enemy to bring doubt through circumstances. I just love it that Jesus asks about the others. Why did they also not come back with a heart full of thanksgiving and also get "sozoed"?! Dear parents, no matter how deep your child's need is, be assured that God's will and plan is that each precious child be like this one healed leper, the one falling at the feet of Jesus, thanking Him over and over, the one who recognizes who to show himself to, the one who believes.

My prayers for my children have grown from trusting God for wholeness to asking Him to create a heart of thankfulness and recognition, and a trust and confidence that spring from belief in God, that each one would be the "one" who recognizes Who it was who brought them into our family-- and so, to be the one to receive SOZO.

The best way to end this post is to pray, don't you think?

Wonderful Jesus, thank you that your plan for each of us and for each of our children is nothing less than wholeness. Would you cause each of our children to recognize You in their story and to run to You full of thanks at what you have done. We desire that each one walk through life whole and free, the recipient of sozo!

Amen.