There was hopelessness...then there was Easter

Hallelujah, He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Maybe it is just my aging memory, but it seems to me that the disciple Thomas was the subject of more than his fair share of Easter sermons. Thomas was just the right kind of disciple with just the right kind of problem to make a good Easter sermon. You know the story of Thomas and his doubt. Thomas who must have been terribly hurt by Jesus’ death, could not bring himself to believe that Jesus had returned to life and pledged not to believe until he saw for himself the risen Christ. When he did come face to face with Jesus, he chose to have confidence in his faith instead of his doubt.

“But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord.But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them:then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:and be not faithless, but believing.And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God” (John 20:20–28).

For Thomas, there was hopelessness—then there was Easter!

Now I find myself here, in the midst of children, families, individuals fighting so many battles. Each one has had more than their share of life experiences that have led them to doubt whether they will ever trust anybody else again.

There was hopelessness—and then there was Easter.

Each day hopelessness walks through our doors and we are given another child to hold. It can be a tiny baby or a bruised and battered teen. Other times it is an aging adult, alone and longing for someone to care.

She is frightened. She never expected to be pregnant—not now anyway. She knew she cared for the life growing inside her, but she also knew that she wasn’t prepared to care for a child. She was overwhelmed by the situation. A caring counselor listened and prayed:

“Help me point this young girl to You.”

She received counseling, guidance regarding pre-natal care, and the support she needed. She chose adoption and was able to participate in all phases of the adoption process. During this time, she came to know Jesus as her personal Savior.

There was hopelessness—then there was Easter!

Sheryl Naylor, BCH’s Senior Director of Domestic Adoptions, recently shared with me that we had five adoptions within two weeks. That is five birth moms making very courageous decisions. They each must have felt doubt and a sense of hopelessness at some time during their journey, but their doubt gave way to love—love for their precious child.

On the international side of adoption, we have one family traveling to the Philippines to take placement of two children this month and two families who recently accepted placement proposals—bringing them one step closer to placement. Pray for hope and healing as they continue their journey to Easter!

She picks up the very tiny baby in her loving arms, sits in the rocker and begins to feed him. The little one is one of our precious babies abandoned to die. The tiny precious baby is now safe in the arms of cottage parents in our orphanage in Guatemala. She prays:

“God help this little one heal and grow strong.”

There was hopelessness—then there was Easter!

She was angry. She was angry at her father for abusing her and her mom. She was angry at her mom for abandoning her and leaving her and her brother. She was angry that her family did not step in and care for her. She was angry that she was now living in yet another group home.

But things seemed different at Mills Home. People did care! As she thought about these things, she began to cry. The arms of her cottage parents were soon around her. As she cried out in anger and pain, they prayed. That night she asked Jesus into her heart. Healing began.

There was hopelessness—then there was Easter!

It’s early in the morning at Cameron Boys Camp. Eric’s chief listens as he pours out his heart.

“Why?” he asked. “Why did my Dad die?”“Why does my Mom stay high?”“Why does she love drugs more than me?”“Why does no one in my family care about me?”

His Chief is all in as he listens to Eric share his pain and gut-wrenching sorrow. Each day the chief prays:

“God help me to help Eric and the other boys in my group to heal. God help me point them to you.”

There was hopelessness—then there was Easter!

They walk through our doors with heavy stones (hopelessness) rolled across the future of their lives, and it is a big deal when one of them is rolled away. When a part of that life that was closed off is set free. They move from doubting to believing.

There was hopelessness—then there was Easter!

Easter is a wonderful life-changing experience, one that we celebrate here with great joy.

The experience of seeing those who walk into our lives filled with hopelessness—“dead”—and then come back to life in a newness of hope in Jesus is transformative!

I hope Easter is a special time in your life.I hope it reminds you of the newness of life we believe is possible because of what God did through Jesus.I hope you remember the children and families you enable us to minister to and pray that they, along with each of us, will experience the newness of life, hope, and possibilities that are the heart of the Easter story.

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Written by Brenda B. Gray, Executive Vice President, Development & Communications