Haiti: God Is There

Jean, 13, was having fun kicking his soccer ball around when it turned into a nightmare. Suddenly the ground began moving underneath his feet and buildings started collapsing, including his home where his parents and five sisters were. The Haiti earthquake on January 12 took the lives of Jean’s family, making him an instant orphan.

Before the earthquake, Haiti’s population was 10 million with 46% under 18 years old. Out of that number, the United Nation’s reported there were 380,000 orphans. Following the earthquake, Jean and thousands more children have now dramatically increased the Haitian orphan population.

Nearly every year since 2000, there have been terrible floods or hurricanes that took thousands of lives, including large swaths of parents. For years, through natural disasters and many other causes orphan numbers have been growing.

In the midst of this orphan crisis, there is hope. According to the Joint Council on International Children’s Services, there are 187 licensed orphanages in Haiti that are caring for thousands of children. Many of these are operated by Christian missionaries, who have been transformed by the love of God and are compelled to go and demonstrate the same love they have been shown. These orphanages not only provide onsite care but work to find loving families who will adopt children. Immediately following the earthquake, the State Department said 300 American families were waiting to adopt a Haitian child.

The staff at these orphanages and adoptive families are being “God with skin on”. Rather then standing at a distance, separating themselves from the hurt, injustice and potential danger, they voluntarily run right into it.

Where was God during the earthquake? He was there. He was there long before and still is. One place you can see Him are the orphanages, each worker being His hands and feet.

Maybe you have had an earthquake in your life. Through a series of bad choices, your world has come crumbling down around you. Now, even in a sea of people and activities you feel lost and alone.

God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, and some people He may have placed in your life, comes and calls you by name. He is not standing at a distance. He is close, patiently and compassionately waiting, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way . . . for [God] will abundantly pardon.” (The Bible, Isaiah 55:6-7, ESV)

The God of heaven, who created you and me, is calling. When you place your total trust in Him, you are instantly adopted and welcomed into His family, the family of God. He becomes your Father and those who follow Him become your brothers and sisters. Come into the family of God and find your hope for today.

Choosing Hope

Jill, a high school senior, took the emotional wrenching drive to the clinic. Nervously she sat, seeming unsure of herself. It felt like there was no other way to handle her unplanned pregnancy. There she was, all alone, in front of the abortion clinic. Where is the hope for her?

There are many who can identify with Jill. A college girl and boyfriend who are not ready for the challenges of parenthood. A pregnant single mom who cannot afford a fourth child. A couple who knows the baby they are carrying will be born with a disability.

Hope is that inward thing you need when you feel like you have no control over your circumstances. It is that desire which swells up and challenges you to believe that there is someone or something greater to live for then what you see around you.

If you are facing an abortion or know someone who is, there is a better way. Choose hope.

First, choose hope for your baby. It is not just a fetus. Any ultrasound or a simple hand on the belly will prove this. It is a baby. Let your mind dream of what your baby could become beyond the limits of money, health and other circumstances. Imagine. Dream great dreams for him or her.

Second, choose hope for yourself. Aborting your baby will smash your hope and etch a tragic memory you will never forget. Let this baby be a new beginning, like the start of a new year. Decide to accept this child and determine to be the very best father or mother your baby could ever have or, answer the wish of another couple. Maybe there is a loving family who would welcome your baby through adoption.

Third, choose hope through forgiveness. To abort or encourage someone to abort a living, breathing baby inside the womb is a sin in God’s sight. He calls it murder. The guilt from such an act weights heavy on a person. What can someone do to be relieved of the guilt and have hope restored?

Centuries ago, Jesus provided a way for total forgiveness of your sin. Through His life, He atoned for it. That means He covered your sin and took it away so He could have a relationship with you. The atoning work of Jesus is waiting for you. If you confess your sin to Him right now, He stands ready to forgive. God says, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities (sins), and I will remember their sins no more” (The Bible, Hebrews 8:12, ESV). Imagine the hope that Jesus can bring by having your guilt finally lifted. The peace! The joy! May Jesus be your hope for today.

Remember that Christmas is a Birthday

My grandson, Konnor, was King for a day when he turned eight years old. He was the center of attention. In the morning, my wife and I called and wished him a happy birthday. He took treats to school, got cards in the mail, and had a birthday party with his own customized birthday cake, compliments of grandma.

When we celebrate someone’s birthday, it is normal to make them the center of attention. They are the focus of the party, gifts and treats. It is a happy time, surrounding the celebration of their birth.

Christmas Day is a gigantic worldwide birthday celebration for Jesus. Although Christians honor Him all year long, it is a concentrated time to remember the day when he came from heaven to earth in miraculous fashion being born through His virgin mother, Mary.

The modern Christmas Day does not seem to reflect the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Rather, it more bears the marks of an annual family gathering accompanied with gift giving and food while the Birthday Boy sits quietly in the background.

How can we make Christmas Day more about Jesus? It is very simple. Go to God in prayer and say, “God what would your Son like for His birthday?” I believe God may show you the two greatest commandments in the Bible, which can serve as the two greatest Christmas gifts for Jesus. “You shall love the Lord your God . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (The Bible, Matt. 22:37-40, ESV) First, give the gift of love to Jesus. Second, give the gift of love to others.

On Christmas morning, we can show our love for Jesus by dropping to our knees and yielding ourselves anew to Him giving praise for who He is and what He has done. Then throughout Christmas Day, we can show our love for others in three ways: 1) Going and sharing the good news of Christ with someone in a creative way. 2) Going and giving something to a person in need – a meal, toy or clothing. 3) Going and visiting someone in need – a widow, foster child, or someone in the hospital.

Take the challenge. Give Jesus what He wants for His birthday. Then watch your Christmas be filled with a divine and everlasting hope.