|
Abandoned
A
recent headline of an Associated Press article read:
“11 Kids, Including Family of 9, Abandoned.”
Eleven
children, ranging in age from 1 to 17, were left at
two
Nebraska
hospitals last Wednesday.
They were abandoned by their caretakers and
turned over to the State to find proper care for them.
Nine of the children came from one family; a
father left his five boys and four girls.
Two other boys, ages 11 and 15, were also
abandoned at another
Medical
Center
.
The
caretakers who abandoned their children were protected
under
Nebraska
’s unique safe haven law, which allows caregivers to
abandon youngsters up to age 19 without fear of
prosecution.
The
law, which went into effect in July, initially was
intended to protect infants.
All fifty states have enacted similar laws,
variously called
A Secret Safe
Place
for
Newborns,
Safe Place
, Baby Moses Law, Safe Arms for Newborns, Safe
Delivery, Safe Surrender,
and other names.
Nebraska
’s safe haven law is unique in that in a compromise
with senators worried about arbitrary age limits, the
measure was expanded to include the word “child.”
Some have interpreted this to mean anyone under
the age of 19.
According
to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human
Services, at least 16 children have been abandoned
since the law took effect.
Todd Landry, director of Health and Human
Services, said that in nearly every case, the parents
who left their children felt overwhelmed and had
decided they didn’t want to be parents anymore.
While
hearts are relieved to know that provision has been
made for unwanted children to receive proper care, one
can only imagine how those abandoned children must
feel. How
tragic it is for a child to feel unloved and unwanted.
How
wonderful to know that God has not abandoned US!
When
we were lost, He came looking for us in the person of
His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus said of Himself, “For the Son of Man
has come to SEEK and to SAVE
that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
God longs for each of us to become His child.
Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we
can be “adopted” and cared for by
the Heavenly Father (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5).
God
accepts us into His family when we: place our faith
in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins
(Acts 2:38).
And
nothing, nothing, NOTHING can separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans
8:35-39).
God
will NEVER abandon His children!
We must be sure that WE do not abandon Him
(see Romans 1:20-32).
Won’t
YOU
accept God’s offer to be His child?
--
David
A. Sargent, Minister
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
Information
gleaned from Associated Press article: “11 Kids, Including Family of 9,
Abandoned.” 9/25/08
To
Subscribe to "Living Water"
send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net
TEXT version: subscribe-livingwater-text@lyris.dundee.net
Follow
this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com
Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website
at: www.creekwoodcc.org
|
