Why I’m a Foster Parent (Part 2)

Those of you who know me know that my younger sister is adopted. I grew up in South Korea as the child of missionaries, and while we were in Korea our family adopted a 2-year-old Korean girl we named Amanda. (I wanted to name her Amy, but that’s another story.) I don’t remember when my younger brother was born, so I have no memories of anyone coming into our family any way other than through adoption. So it did not seem odd to me, as far as I can remember, that someone who one day had no place in our family would magically become a part of our family the very next day.

I don’t remember a day when I felt like Amanda was any less my sister than my two biological siblings. Our differences in appearance have led to some awkward encounters (like when we’ve been shopping together and people thought we were dating), but appearance often has little to do with family anyway. Adoption is a beautiful image of salvation (Gal 4:5), and I have had the opportunity to see first hand the power of a family transformed through adoption. Now adoption does not always mean that things are easy, but family isn’t always easy no matter how the family is formed.

I’ve learned from my sister that family is not always about genes. Much like the biblical concept of the family of God, which stretches beyond race and biology, families do not have to be confined to our biological relatives or even to people of the same race.  In fact, what better way to show what the family of God is all about than to invite people in to be a part of our family, even if only for a time.