Adoption & Providence: Beckham’s Story

When Beckham was a toddler, he was found wandering the streets of Burundi looking for food.

He was taken to an orphanage and soon adopted by a single parent who lived in the northwestern United States. Though the intentions of that parent were good, the demands of a child were too much for her. After a couple of years, she notified the adoption agency that she could not meet Beckham’s needs. They needed to find a new family.

An alert known as a “second chance adoption” went out to prospective families and agencies around the country. “A precious little boy in need of a family to provide a home and meet his needs.” The news came to the attention of Maegan. She and her husband already had two children, but they were praying for a third.

They reached out to the agency. According to the law of the state, the prospective family was required to spend a week with little Beckham to test compatibility. Happy to oblige, the family traveled to the northwest, where they picked up the boy and drove to a beach house in Oregon. The week was glorious. The days were filled with laughter, games, and joy. On the last evening of the week, Thomas, the father, mentioned that the trip was coming to an end, and everyone would be going home the next day.

Later that night, when everyone was in bed, Maegan and Thomas heard Beckham crying in his room. They asked him what was wrong. He couldn’t say. They asked him again. He still struggled to find the words. Finally, he asked, “Was I good enough?” He told his parents-to-be that he had been informed the trip was a test. Only if he was good enough would he have a new home.

Thomas held Beckham close and assured him, “We chose you to be in our home before we ever knew you. We made a promise, and we will keep it.”

Today, Beckham is flourishing with his forever family.

The story of Beckham illustrates God’s providence.

Our Father has made an identical promise to his children. Before sin was in the heart of humanity, salvation was in the heart of God. God made a covenant. His promises are binding. His decision is fixed. He will have his garden. And we will enjoy it with him.

Do we not need this reminder of God’s control today? Do we not need the reassurance of God’s steadfast hand on the steering wheel of humanity? Do we not need to be told and re-told the story of God’s plan and purpose?

God will accomplish what he set out to do. The earliest pages of the Bible declare the intent of God:

So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals” (Gen. 1:27–28, GNT).

 God’s plan from the get-go was a Paradise populated and overseen by his children. Our ancestors stumbled, but God’s resolve never weakened. Adam and Eve turned from him, but he never turned from us. Paradise lost in Genesis is offset by Paradise found in Revelation.

This world, so upside down, will be right side up. People who were rejected in this life will be respected in the next.  In this age they were enslaved and sold; in the next they will rule and reign. In this age they were handicapped and sick; in the next they will serve with perfected, glorified bodies.

This sounds like heaven.  This sounds like the perfect ending.  This sounds like the grand conclusion to the story of God.

What God says will happen, will happen.

Watch or listen to our interview with Max Lucado on SBE here!

Max Lucado a pastor, speaker and best-selling author with more than 150 million products in print. His latest book is What Happens Next: A Traveller’s Guide Through the End of This Age (August 2024, Thomas Nelson). He has been pastoring in San Antonio at Oak Hills Church since 1988. Find out more at MaxLucado.com