Proof of Our Relationship

Packiam writes, “On a Saturday morning, when my wife and I are trying to sleep in until that luxurious hour of 8am but our younger children are hungry for breakfast, they don’t run outside to the neighbor begging for food. They come boldly into our bedroom asking for what they need. ‘Will you please make me some eggs?!’ We are tempted in those moments to get upset, but we should be honored by their request. It is in itself proof of our relationship with them. The reverse of this scene is tragically described by Dr. Russell Moore in his book, Adopted for Life. Moore describes going to an orphanage in Russia as they were in the process of pursuing adoption. The silence from the nursery was eerie. The babies in the cribs never cried. Not because they never needed anything, but because they had learned that no one cared enough to answer. Children who are confident of the love of a caregiver cry. For the Christian, our lament, when taken to our Father in heaven, is proof of our relationship with God, our connection to a great Caregiver” (Packiam, “Lament”).