The Way Out
What is this page all about? Why is it titled the way out? This page doesn't discuss our adoption directly but it does discuss life issues that directly affect our adoption. The information contained on this page I've called the way out because not only does it describe a way out, it describes the only way out. The way out of what you ask?
Have you ever felt like something was missing from your life? Have you ever thought, there's got to be more to life than this? There's a big void in most people's lives. Many people will spend their entire lives trying to fill that void. No matter what they try to fill it with, the void never gets filled. Some may think what's missing is the love of another person. Some people think that it is a lack of possessions. There are those who go from buying one thing to another in hopes of gaining long term joy and happiness. At best they experience the short term thrill of the conquest. The people who pursue relationships to complete themselves soon discover that this too is not the answer they were looking for. Many people who have tried to find what is missing in their lives but have failed will seek out a temporary (or sometimes permanent) means of escape. This too can take many forms. Some turn to alcohol, some turn to drugs, others medicate themselves with food while others find meaningless distractions to keep their minds off of their unfulfilled lives. Most people never find what they are looking for. Most people never find the way out.
Have you ever made the observation that people spend a lot of time plannning for their retirement but almost no time contemplating what will happen when their life on earth ends? Why is this so? Let's face it, eternity is significantly longer than the number of years one spends in retirement. Is it because people quickly determine this is one of life's mysteries that just can't be solved so they make a decision either consciously or unconsciously to avoid the issue all together? What will happen to us after we die?
Stepping back to the beginning, another question deserves our consideration. Why are we here to begin with? Many people avoid that question as well. According to some, we are here by chance as a result of "the big bang".
We have strayed significantly from the topic of adoption, haven't we? Perhaps, we are not as far off course as you might think. Actually, although it may seem like I've been rambling on about unrelated subjects, the truth is they all tie in with adoption.
If everything I have said up to this point has left you confused, allow me to burn off some of the fog. Let's go back to the beginning. I talked about a way out. The answer is simple, but it may not seem obvious. The answer is found in the well known book called the Bible. Everyone has heard of the Bible, but few read it. To many it is just a collection of stories and to others its contents are mere foolishness. In fact, the Bible even describes this.
1 Cor 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
I think most people would say they believe in the concept of gravity. Well, if we were to find a person who were to say they did not believe in the concept of gravity, would gravity cease to exist? Obviously, gravity exists whether people believe it or not. Likewise, what we find in the Bible is true as well. This is backed up by historical evidence as well as the fulfillment of many biblical prophesies.
The way out is described in the Bible. It also describes
what happens when people come up with what they see as a way out or an
escape from the frustration of not finding a way out.
Prov 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
The Bible also talks about the two roads you can take in life.
Matt 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The narrow road is the way out. The way out is this:
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Not only is Jesus the way, he is life. Jesus is the way out. If you think about the endless cycles you are on in your life in an attempt to find peace and joy, you should realize you are a prisoner. You keep trying different ways to get out of the prison of discontentment, unfullfillment, and emptiness, but nothing works. The Bible has the answer:
John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
People become slaves to the things they do in order to find a way out or escape the pain. Some are a slave to drugs. Some are a slave to shopping. Some are a slave to pornography. Others are a slave to TV, video games, eating, drinking, and an endless list of other things. The Bible covers this as well. Within 2 Pet 2:19 it says, "for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him."
John 8:34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
So, how does this work? How does Jesus get me out of the prison I am in and how does he set a slave like me free? We all have the same basic problem.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The solution is the same for all of us. All of us are sinners.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The method is the same for all of us.
I Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
What's the result?
Gal 4:7 So you are no longer a slave,
but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come!
The Bible shows the path to becoming adopted into God's family.
John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
The significance of this verse cannot be overstated. God adopts us into his family if we choose to give up our futile efforts and follow him instead. If unconditional love is something you are seeking, God is your answer. Humans are imperfect and will let us down, but God will never let us down. You may avoid churches because people have let you down or disappointed you. I've been there. Even the best of us will disappoint others from time to time. The solution is a relationship with the only one who can never fail you because he is perfect.
Knowing that God has everything under control, the fact that he loves us unconditionally, and the truth that as an adopted son of God you will live with God for eternity, provides comfort, peace and security.
I Jn 5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Without Jesus, the life we live cannot be considered life. It is meaningless. Jesus gives purpose to our lives and a hope for eternity. We are not here by accident. We were created by God to have a relationship with him and to give him glory. Some people believe in life after death. Others do not. If life after death is in fact a reality, what should we be doing to prepare for it? If we don't prepare for life after death, what will the consequences be? Considering the eternal implications, this isn't a question to be taken lightly. The Bible says this:
Rev 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Repeating what was said earlier,
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
If you give Him the chance, God will fill the void in your life, give your life purpose, and replace the anxiety and emptiness with peace and hope. Your uncertain future will be replaced with the hope of spending eternity with God. Don't let the opportunity of turning your life around slip by. We are certainly glad we didn't. Write to us if you have any questions.