Read Ephesians 1:5.

My story of adoption starts in Calcutta, India. My birth mother had me when she was around 14. I don’t know much about her background, but I do know I was found in the streets of Calcutta by one of Mother Teresa’s nuns.

Growing up I hated being adopted. I hated being different, the only non-white person in my family. I was desperate to fit in. I had developed an anguish in my soul towards the India that I hated so much and I didn’t want to be recognized as different, just as an American.

My family, of course, loved me and told me I was chosen. But there was still an empty place inside of my heart that made me feel unknown. It wasn’t until college that God revealed his beautiful love and grace to me in an unexpected way. I was asked to go on a missions trip to India for 4 months. I immediately said no, but after a lot of prayer, I decided to step into an adventure that forever changed my life and views on adoption.

One day, as I was walking in a small village, a guy came up to me begging me to take his beautiful, bright eyed, black haired baby girl. I looked into her eyes and finally understood what it meant to be adopted. I saw this little one, desperate to be loved and taken into a loving family. So innocent and unable to speak for herself.

This experience broke my heart because I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t take her, but I knew in that moment how much God saved me, how He saw me, how He chose me to be part of my family. In that moment I realized just how much God loves and cares for us. God knew my story; he had a plan for my life.

REFLECT + RESPOND

Ponder the connection between Rachel’s adoption story and your “adopted into God’s Kingdom family” story. Imagine going through this Advent season as an orphan; offer a prayer of thanksgiving to your Abba Father for sending Jesus to earth so you could be his child.

By Rachel Cookston 

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