The HOPE of Easter...

When Christ was born, HOPE was born with Him!  But HOPE was never more fully alive than in His death!  This simply makes no sense in our human economy.  Had we been alive 2000 years ago and witnessed His gruesome death with our own eyes, I think it unlikely that we would have characterized that day as a day filled with HOPE!  That God uses death and darkness to usher in our greatest HOPE defies human reason!  And yet, tonight as I pray and beg God for a heart that will give new life to my daughter, I am haunted by the thought that her only HOPE lies in the death of another.  But those thoughts are far too "weighty" for my own fragile heart and I must leave them in the hands of a Father who is all knowing, all powerful, all loving, and fully able to handle the things I can not even begin to understand.     


I can not explain why God placed His sovereign hand over the life of a broken-hearted orphan, abandoned on the streets of China.  Or why through miracle upon miracle He preserved her life, and provided a way for her to finally come home!  Or why on this Good Friday, that "hopeless" little girl now waits for a new life that can only be found in the death of another.  But if the death and resurrection of my Lord teaches me anything, it teaches me that God can be trusted with things far too difficult for me to understand.  That trust brings peace.  And it brings a sweet confidence that I am welcomed before Him to ask with HOPE that this Easter morning will bring with it a new heart and a new life for our precious Rachel.    

Rachel's story has changed my own life in so many ways.  And I've marveled as I've watched God use her story to weave Himself through the lives of the people I love.  Ellie penned the story in her own words this week and it is proudly displayed on the chalk board in our kitchen for all to see!  And Kate... how can I even begin to write of the beautiful ways the Lord is working in her precious heart?  To hear the prayers of simple trust from her lips these days humbles me and reminds me why our Savior said that we should come to Him as a child would!  Such yearning for Truth leads to many difficult questions, though, and I've wondered if she understood exactly what a new heart for Rachel meant for another child... for another family... until she came to me and Doug this week and offered her OWN!  "I will give Rachel MY heart," she said, "and be the first in our family to heaven!"...as if she somehow thought this might be an acceptable exchange!  Suddenly the reality of the cross and what it's HOPE cost Christ came fully alive in our home!  The Gospel beautifully illustrated through the lips of an 8 year old girl!


Sadly, Rachel's heart tires more with each passing day.  Last week she seemed especially weak and several times I noticed her quietly removing herself from the giggles and fun to sit and watch from the sidelines instead.  On one occasion I slipped onto the bench beside her just in time for her to ask me "Why?"  "It's your broken heart, Baby... but soon you will be able to laugh and play too!"  I tried to encourage her as she wilted across my lap.  "Come on, Dr Fricker!" she said.  "Hurry!"  Listen to the cries of your precious Rachel, Lord!  Please, DO hurry!  And while you're at it, Father... would you give me a new heart too?  I'm quick to forget how broken my own heart is,... how hardened I've allowed it to become by the pain of the last year,... or how quick I am to nurse and protect my wounded heart when what I really need is a transplant from the Lord Jesus Himself!  I am painfully aware that my own need is as great as Rachel's.  And suddenly the message of Easter and the heart Christ died to give us both becomes more real than ever before!  Thank you, Lord, that even when our "Good Friday's" appear hopeless, Easter morning brings news that HOPE is fully alive!  May it be more true this year than ever before as we await news of HOPE for Rachel...