The "Burger King Baby" and Restoring What Has Been Lost

In Luke chapter 15, we are reminded of our God, who is the restorer of lost things.   Jesus tells the series of parables about the man who sought the lost sheep, the woman who attempted to find the lost coin, and the story of the prodigal son.   Here is these first of those 3 stories:
4"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'7I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

Jesus has come to seek and save those who are lost.   He reaches out in His abundant love and calls people to come home to Himself, to enjoy the relationship with God that they were created to have.  And, not only does Jesus bring us into salvation, but when there is brokenness in our lives, or when there is a breach in a relationship, we can depend on Him to be our healer and restorer. When we have lost some element of our walk with Him, He is the One who can bring is into a fresh knowledge of Himself.   We can be secure in the fact that in Christ, lost things are found.

Our God is a God of peace, and desires to bring reconciliation.   We have to guard against the barriers to it. Here is what Hebrews 12 says:

14Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:15looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
27 years ago, a 17-year-old girl who had been raped in another country and had become pregnant gave birth to her child, then travelled to a Burger King restaurant in Allentown, Pennsylvania and left her hours-old baby in the restroom.

27 years later, CNN reports that the now-grown, so-called "Burger King Baby" reached out to her birth mother in a simple Facebook post a few weeks ago.  Katheryn Deprill wrote on Facebook, "I want her to know that I am not mad at her for what she did, however I have so many questions to ask her and also to start a relationship with my biological mother."

She added, "Please help me find her by sharing my post...Maybe she will see this."

She did. And on Monday, the two women met.

"They immediately hugged," said Jim Waldron, an attorney who arranged the meeting at the request of Deprill's birth mother told CNN affiliate WFMZ. "It was exciting, emotional, dramatic."

Waldron, after relating the back story of the baby's birth, said that the mother "...left the baby in a location where the baby would be found and cared for...She kissed the baby on the forehead ... and left."

Deprill told the affiliate her mother "was extremely upset that she had to leave me and it wasn't what she wanted, but she felt she had no other means."

"She left me somewhere she knew I'd be found. She did not want to throw me away."

This is a heartwarming story that has attracted some significant media attention.  I think the idea of a baby who was abandoned finding and reuniting with their birth mother reinforces a desire we all have to find what has been lost.  Regarding material things, as well as in relationships, we want to recapture those things that are meaningful that we have lost.  And, perhaps there is a person with whom you once had a relationship who you no longer interact with, or an experience that you have enjoyed in the past that is no longer part of your life.   Or, maybe you've lost an aspect of your life with Christ - maybe even you are like the church in Revelation 2 that had lost it first love.   We can turn to Christ , who comes to heal and restore - ask Him to help you find what you seek, according to His will.

Sometimes lost relationships can be repaired as we are willing to extend forgiveness.  Katheryn has a very forgiving attitude toward her birth mother who, in a sense of being afraid and confused, abandoned her in a restaurant restroom.   But, she stated she was not mad at her and wanted to begin a relationship.   Some people would allow bitterness to keep them from ever taking that step.  And, in think in the Christian sense, people can be so bitter that they miss God's will for their lives and never experience His best for them. It appears Katheryn is willing to forgive, which was a component of the reunion, which was also attended by her adoptive mother and her birth mother's husband.

And, of course, you cannot ignore the pro-life elements here.   The young girl did not choose to abort her child - instead, as Katheryn sees it, she placed her where she, as a baby, would be found.   That is a very gracious attitude!   We can be encouraged that there are children that are available to be adopted by parents who wish to raise children in a home full of Christian love and affirmation.   Just as Christ has adopted us into his family, there are many who see the call of adoption as an act of compassion and obedience to Him.