Not Abandoned (Destination: Bethlehem, Day 1)

In Colossians chapter 1, we are told about what Christ has done for us, bringing us out of the domain of darkness into the realm of His light and love:
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

This can bring us great hope because we know that God, out of His great love for us, sent His Son to die for us so that we could be free from darkness and to walk in His Kingdom ways.  We have redemption - Jesus has given His life for ours, and in Him we can experience new life, forgiveness of sins, and freedom from sin's power.  Even though humanity was fallen because of the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden, God did not abandon His human creation, and we have become the beneficiaries of His redemption plan - in Christ, we can have hope!

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Hope.

We think of two people who had abandoned God, but the story wasn't over.

Adam and Eve had sinned, but God promised redemption for fallen humanity.  They threw away the pleasure of paradise, but God wasn't finished.  There were consequences pronounced for the man and the woman - and for the serpent, who tempted Adam and Eve to act against the will of God.

Genesis 3 says, beginning in verse 14:
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."

In verse 15 there, "Seed" is capitalized - this points clearly to the triumph of Jesus over the power of the enemy, even though he would attempt to defeat Jesus and bruise His heel, Jesus held the ultimate victory, defeating the power of sin and death.

On this year's Christmas "Advent-ure," I'm calling it, "Destination: Bethlehem," highlighting places along the way that can illustrate for us how God was working out His plan of redemption through Jesus Christ.

It's this message of hope that can motivate people to follow our Savior - the story of a loving God who did not abandon His creation, even though they rejected Him.

Bringing hope is the passion of two Atlanta-area women, who have developed the idea of "The Hope Box," inspired by the story of the Focus on the Family movie, "The Drop Box," telling the amazing story of a South Korean pastor who has provided a place, a drop box, for children to be placed rather than be abandoned.

According to a story on the 11Alive website, these two ladies are building an actual box inside a door, with a pull-down door that closes, where women can anonymously place their babies, who will, eventually, receive medical help and permanent homes. Sarah Koeppen, one of the founders, is quoted as saying: "Most of the time these girls (who abandon babies) feel they don't have another option, especially if they're scared for whatever reason..."  Sarah's nine-year-old son was actually dropped off at her door six years ago by a woman she did not know.

Co-founder Tiffany Turolla said: "Being that we are the number one state in America for sex-trafficking, there's a rise in women becoming pregnant through this and not knowing what to do with their babies."  She explains: "... from the inside, a member of our medical team will take the baby and assess the baby, make sure all the vitals are stable. From there we will place the baby into our nursery, where volunteers will take care of the baby." They will also call the licensed Embracing Life Adoption Agency, which is partnering with The Hope Box to find permanent homes for the babies. The Hope Box also has a hotline number.

What an amazing story and two ladies with a heart for those who are abandoned.

So, we now go back to our loving Heavenly Father and what He has done for us.  Adam and Eve sinned, placing humanity at risk of being separated from God forever.  But the story doesn't end. Their sin brought punishment, but the antidote for sin, promised through Jesus, brought hope.

So, we can be reminded of our condition - in need of a Savior, in need of hope; each of us.  But, God in His great love sent a Redeemer so that even when we make decisions that are not in accordance with His commandments, we can find forgiveness and redemption through Him.  The promise of forgiveness and a right relationship with God can bring great hope to us.  Now, we are not abandoned by God because of our sin - yes, we know that we are to confess those sins, but we can be confident that God will forgive and cleanse us.  We can place ourselves into the loving arms of Jesus and trust Him with our lives.