My middle son turns 30 a week from today. I remember his birth like it happened yesterday. A dad himself now, it will be a special day.

I turned thirty three weeks prior to his birth. I remember that day clearly as well. My mother passed away months prior to my 30^th birthday. My dad preceded her in death when I was fifteen. I remember turning thirty and feeling like an orphan. I quickly dismissed such “ridiculous” thinking and did not share such sentiments with anyone. It felt embarrassing and silly. I reasoned that a small child could be an orphan, but not a grown man with two children.

I was wrong. Faulty reasoning led to those conclusions. An orphaned adult is a real person. Such individuals need the security and wisdom that parents typically provide.

I was enveloped by people at church during that period who were older and wiser. They blessed me in every imaginable way. Our church family at that time remains near and dear to my very heart. I will never be able to express my gratitude sufficiently to them.

Fast forward 30 years. I must face the reality that my middle son is turning thirty. And his younger brother is only 4 years behind him. Do I still feel like an orphan at age 60? And the answer is: I do. But thirty years has changed my perspective.

I have an adoptive spirit. I do not have the financial means to legally adopt everyone who is fatherless. But I have a heart that has room for the fatherless. I have a heart for adult orphans. I feel for those who do not have a relationship with their father for whatever reason.

 Thirty years-ago I did life with a church family that chose to embrace me and love me. They provided protection, wisdom, and assistance that a good father would have offered. Even my advanced age of 60 I have not forgotten their kindness. My prayer is that I can emulate the adoptive spirit they showed to me.