I've always wanted to be a Tenenbaum.

We are invited into a relationship with God, we are adopted into God's family.  One of my favorite movies is The Royal Tenenbaum's.  It is a story about divorce, reconciliation, and family.  (It has an all-star cast and phenomenal soundtrack by the way.)  One of the story lines is about Margo Tenenbaum (played by Gweneth Paltrow). She is the adopted daughter of Royal Tenenbaum, and you know this because whenever her father would introduce his children, he would always introduce her as the adopted daughter.  It is not hard to see why she would develop troubles as an adult with such a self-image.  Her love interest in the movie is their next door neighbor Eli Cash, (played by Owen Wilson) who would always spend time at the Tenenbaum house.  He also longed for a place in the family.  One interesting point about his is that he would send his college transcripts home to the Tenenbaum house rather than his own parents.  You can see that he too comes from a troubled family situation.  

One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Eli says, "I've always wanted to be a Tenenbaum."  This is when he gets to the end of his rope and he sees that he is a person in need of help.  Right after he says this, Margo says, "Me too."  You may be saying to yourself... big deal its just a line in the movie.  In fact this is such an important theme and part of the movie that the composer, Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo fame) wrote a separate piece of music with the same title.  I've always wanted to be a Tenenbaum."     

With God - you do not have to be on the outside any longer.  We must remember how we are invited into a relationship with God, in the Spirit, through the Son.  But God never introduces us as His adopted kids.  We are just the children of God- period.  

Romans 8: 14-17

"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."