I've been in the process of adopting a precious 4-year-old little girl named Missy from Haiti for 18 months now. Missy's biological mama died of AIDS and she contracted HIV in utero, so in addition to the already painstakingly slow international adoption journey, there have been numerous medical hurdles.

Some days I feel like I'm climbing a really steep mountain wearing a pair of rollerblades in the pouring rain. To say it's been a little difficult is like saying a grizzly is a little grouchy when he wakes up from hibernation and his belly's growling! But it's also been like drinking from a spiritual fire hose with one amazing lesson coming right after the other.

For instance, when I'm visiting Missy at her orphanage now she skips to mealtime with her head held high, a huge grin spread across her face, all the while pulling my arm and urging me to go faster. Because she's discovered that when she's with me - her new blanca mama - she doesn't get turned away from the table. That instead I will make sure her plastic plate is filled high with (almost) everything she points to. Rice (a generous spoonful), chicken (two drumsticks), bread (a whole slice), tomatoes and cucumbers (all she wants), mango (unlimited slices)!

Long gone are the days when my baby had to beg for food and even then only got to eat four or five times a week. Her little brown belly is no longer swollen from malnourishment; she no longer bears the stigma of poverty. My daughter's heart is growing more confident that when she's with me, she will be taken care of.

And oh! How much more so it is with God and His kids! Our Heavenly Father is so eternally committed to caring for us that He sent His only begotten Son to establish a new way of coming to the table. Instead of trying to balance our hefty hopes on the slender shoulders of one flawed human priest, we get to place them on the infinitely broad back of the Prince of Peace.

Jesus accomplished our reconciliation with God through His death and resurrection. His sacrifice on the cross shredded the curtain that separated sinners from a holy God. His blood washed away the stain of sin and the stigma of shame and emotional poverty. We now have constant access to the banqueting table of divine grace and have been adopted into the forever family of our Creator-Redeemer!

Lisa Harper serves as Women of Faith Ministry Director and frequently brings Scripture to life at Women of Faith events. See the complete schedule of upcoming events at womenoffaith.com.