Adopted by Jesus

As an animal lover, I occasionally scroll through articles on The Dodo about rescued dogs or cats. It always makes me smile when I see these animals, who were once gaunt from hunger, now sleek and healthy, enjoying the love and happiness of a good home. Tonight, I read a sad article about a dog who’s been at a shelter for seven years. She just wants to love and be loved, but no one has given her a chance because she’s too frightened to give a good impression. I wish I could dash over to the shelter, hug her, and then adopt her—in spite of my two cats.

The story of this little dog reminds me of the woman in our Scripture reading today (and myself, too!). This woman just wants to be loved. But she’s searching in all the wrong places for a love that no human being can ever give. Already, this Samaritan woman has a lot of strikes against her: she’s a Samaritan, rejected by the Jews who refuse to even step foot in her country, she’s a woman, and she’s a divorcee who’s gone through five husbands and is living with a man to whom she isn’t even married. But underneath all that baggage, she just wants to be loved. And Jesus, who loves this woman beyond all comprehension, walks right into Samaria and sits down beside her well to meet her. This divine appointment gives the woman a new life because after her conversation with the Savior, she’s never the same again. She finally knows true Love.

This story makes me smile. I love how Jesus is so excited about this woman coming to know Him that He doesn’t even care about eating. I love how the woman goes and tells her neighbors about Jesus, and He stays in their town for two more days telling them about the Kingdom of God.

I love the way God meets us like He met that woman. In the middle of our daily lives, Jesus sits down at the well of our hearts and offers us a drink of His living water. And I love that when we ask Him, Jesus will adopt us into His huge, amazing family where there's more than enough room for every lonely soul who wants to belong to Him. Now that's a happy ending!