we can experience the perfection of His love. 2nd Corinthians 4 offers these verses:
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
The Bible reminds us about the contrast between light and darkness - into a dark world, God shone His light. We are all burdened by the darkness of sin, but when Christ shines His light into our hearts, He reveals where He desires to do His work - He exposes our sin, and enables us to walk in His righteousness. He gives us the power to pull down strongholds, to renew our minds, to take every thought captive - we can put off the old and put on the new. He is full of grace and mercy, extending second chances to those who are willing to follow Him.
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This is Day 14 of 25: A Christmas Advent-ure, our Faith Radio Advent Guide, available as a free download from our website at FaithRadio.org. Each day has a corresponding Christmas song, a Scripture verse or passage, and a lyric from the song. Today, we reflect on O Holy Night.
Luke chapter 2 says:
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The plan, at one point, looked hopeless: a long journey to Bethlehem by a pregnant woman and her husband, the arrival into a packed city, and "no vacancy" at a local inn. Relegated to the stable. Among the animals. Kicked to the curb, you might say. But, in that scene of desperation, God's will was performed; His Son came into the world that night!
Let me tell you about a former Meeting House guest named Donna. She is actually portrayed in a new film called, The Front Runner. It stars Hugh Jackman in a role unlike The Greatest Showman or Les Miserables. I don't recommend the film, but there is an element that bears some spotlight.
I caught a column by Jerry Newcombe of D. James Kennedy Ministries at ChristianHeadlines.com. He also writes for WND.com and has also been a guest on The Meeting House. He set up the story dramatized in the film:
You may recall that Gary Hart, a handsome Democrat politician from Colorado, was easily the front-runner in the road to the 1988 presidential election, at least the primaries. But he derailed himself in 1987 through a sexual scandal on board a South Florida yacht, appropriately called “Monkey Business.”He continued:
Gary Hart denied that he was seeing any mistresses (and even challenged reporters to follow him), but a widely publicized photo of Hart with Donna Rice on his lap on board the boat said otherwise.As Jerry tells the story, Donna Rice was raised in a Christian home, but after college, she began to make "subtle compromises." When she was in her twenties, spurred on by an act of abuse against her, she " just put God [and] my Bible on a shelf." Donna, who is married and known as Donna Rice Hughes, says: "...it took going through this international scandal in 1987 for God to get my attention again. And He did.”
The column states:
Donna continued, “What it really did was it drove me to my knees. And I realized how far I had gotten from the Lord, and that I was in so much pain. It was such a devastating time for me and for my family. And so I rededicated my life to Him at that point, and went through really seven years of being underground.”
During that time period, she diligently studied the Bible and got involved in Christian fellowship. She began to work with an organization called Enough is Enough. Newcombe writes:
Enough is Enough is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to making the Internet safe for children, for example, by protecting them “from both porn and sexual predators,” to quote Hughes. “Our overall focus…has been preventing all Internet-enabled exploitation of children online.” How ironic that a woman initially known for a sex scandal is now a leading champion against porn.Donna says "...my whole story illustrates, in a way, God’s sense of humor, but also how He really can bring incredible redemption and restoration in situations that seem hopeless as mine did.”
The website, Bustle.com did a story recently on Hughes. It said:
In the lead up to The Front Runner's release, the now-60-year-old Rice Hughes spoke with People Magazine about the lasting effect the Hart scandal has had on her life. "I felt I was put on trial," she told People of the scandal. "The media fixated on me for the next 18 months. My reputation was destroyed worldwide." Rice Hughes, who is now a grandmother to three, also revealed to People that she suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by the scandal.She had the chance to view the film and appreciated the way her character was treated.
The story of Donna Rice Hughes is certainly a redemption story, a story of second chances. And, isn't that what God has come to do, to redeem flawed individuals in need of a Savior and to give them, to give us, new life through a relationship with Him?
And, through that relationship, we have opportunities, as clay in the hands of the potter, to be molded into whom God wants us to be. Donna is now speaking out against pornography, which victimizes so many individuals, including those who not only consume it but those who are on the receiving end of heinous actions perpetrated by those who are motivated by it.
The dark night in Bethlehem looked like a story that might not have a happy ending, but God had a plan. And, in the dark night of Donna's life, she rediscovered the Savior of her childhood. In our troubles, it's important that we look beyond current circumstances and develop hope in God's plan, which is rooted in His love for us.
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