I Am Adopted and a date with predestination

The holiday season is upon us, and while it may strike chords of happiness and family togetherness, for many it is a lonely time and brings on severe depression.
What of those who have no family to enjoy?  For some, even the invitation from a neighbor or someone else's family, makes them feel like an orphan in the worst sense; rejected, unwanted, and unloved by their "natural " family if they have one, and a charity case at best.
Growing up as blessed as I was, holidays were always at home with my parents, four sisters and four brothers.  Once married, with four children of our own, it was wonderful to carry on that tradition, and to relieve our parents of the work of feeding and entertaining.
This morning I turned to my book* of daily readings *. 
It highlighted 10 key biblical promises that the reader was instructed to "Memorize, Remember, and Treasure".
Number 1 was; "I Am Adopted" with the reference to Ephesians 1:5, and this is the one I  would like to share my thoughts on for this holiday season.
I am adopted.
 It is written as a declaration and as a positive fact!
I belong. I am loved. I am included, wanted, and cared for by my family!  I am not rejected, I am chosen!! 
Ephesians 1:3-6 begins with thanksgiving and praise;
"Blessed be the God and Father (our Father) of our Lord Jesus Christ (now our brother!), who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons (and daughters) by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
Here is our family!  We were chosen, planned for, and hand-picked even before this world was created!
Predestined- certain to happen because God or another force has decided it will.
As it says in Ephesians 1:5, having predestined us to adoption, God Himself had a plan for us to be His family according to "the good pleasure of His will".  Here we are assured that we are a member of the wealthiest, wisest, most powerful and loving family that was and ever will be, and it was God's good pleasure to have us!
This is a fact, and a simultaneous invitation to accept.  This is our Father, inviting us to dine and celebrate a relationship with Him every day.
On this Thanksgiving Day, plan to "memorize, remember, and treasure" your ROYAL ADOPTION, and to give thanks in recalling all the ways that God our true Father has blessed you.  The gifts He showers upon us are not disposable, exchangeable, or returnable.
As it says in Issiah 55:11 "So will My Word be which goes out of My Mouth; it will not return to Me void (useless, without result).
And from John 1:16; "For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."
Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters.  We all have our earthly life with it's sorrows and it's joys.  It has taken me a very long time to type this with one hand since I broke a wrist!  But our spiritual life and family (God Himself) must take precedent over the carnal, which is not our true self.
I AM ADOPTED!
Thank You Father and Creator of ALL!  Thank you Jesus!

Theresa Scibelli
*daily readings from the book "Unshakeable" 365 day devotional by Author Christine Caine