Grafted In

Lately I've been thinking about what it means to be grafted in.  Since you may not know what I'm referring to: 

Romans 11:11 - 17

¹¹ Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. ¹² Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

¹³ I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, ¹⁴ for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. ¹⁵ For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! ¹⁶ And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.
¹⁷ But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.

My daughter Hannah is adopted.  She fits seamlessly into our lives.  I cannot imagine life without her.  I think she is my greatest tangible example of what it means to be grafted in.  She is part of me with no separation.  That is a likeness to our relationship with God.  

I found this amazing website that explains it from a Messianic Christian perspective:

http://www.graftedin.com/graftedin.html

Another real life example is skin grafting...

What is a skin graft?

A skin graft consists of skin taken from another part of the body and applied to the site where skin is missing. A skin graft is a free piece of tissue without its own blood supply (as compared with a skin flap) and therefore its survival relies completely on a nutrients from the wound bed on which it is placed.

Why do you need a skin graft?

A skin graft is required when the area of skin loss is too big to be closed using local skin and stitches alone. The skin graft covers the wound and attaches itself to the cells beneath and begins to grow in its new location. If a skin graft wasn't performed, the area would be an open wound and take much longer to heal. 

So like my daughter being brought in to my family...like this foreign or accessory piece of skin, we are GRAFTED IN to God.  The skin is applied where something is missing...like faith is applied where God is missing. Right where the area of loss is too big for any other solution.  We have equal rights and opportunities with Jesus representing our seamless relationship with God.  How miraculous is that?  How amazing?  We are given the undeserved benefit of a direct Abba experience.  When we use the word Abba - we are literally calling God "Daddy".  Being grafted in means that I, and you, have the opportunity to approach I AM on an intimate basis.  I have never considered how thankful I am to be a wild olive branch, finding rest in the Tree of Life.  This picture of my daughter represents that joy to me...and I am thankful for a true illustration of what it means to belong to and be a part of God.