I am very thankful that I grew up in a Christian home with parents who taught me about God from as far back as I remember. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t believe that Jesus had died for me and that was the only way I could get to heaven. My parents and grandparents were great examples to me. Even though I believed in the Christ of the Bible, my faith didn’t really grow very much until I went to college. Once I was living on my own, I realized that I had to make my faith my own – I couldn’t rely on the faith of my family. It was during these years that I decided I wanted to make God a priority in my life. I didn’t have anyone but myself making me go to church or to Bible study, and I began to realize the importance of fellowship with other believers. We all need encouragement and to be challenged, and it was then that I began to see my faith grow and mature.

Also during this time, I started to really understand the meaning of Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son … to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” My parents have adopted 12 children, and I have had the privilege of seeing these children become part of our family. To my parents, there is no difference between their adopted children and their biological children. This is how God feels about us. Through Jesus’ blood, we are made heirs of God’s kingdom with Christ Jesus. He has adopted us into His family, and there is no going back.

This world is no longer our home because we have a new father, a new family, and a new home where we will spend eternity.

Heather Allen