One father's trash is another Father's Treasure

Last Tuesday, my Alivia turned 8 years old.

Here she is with the beautiful cake made for her by my sister Michelle.

Three days later, this is the headline that greeted me when I turned on the computer...

4 Arizona Boys Under 14 Allegedly Lured Little Girl With Chewing Gum in Sex Assault

I continued reading as the first paragraph containing the girls age made me gasp.

She too is 8 years old.

The four boys are ages 9 to 14 and police say they "brutally sexually assaulted her for 10 to 15 minutes". Sgt. Andy Hill called it one of the worst cases the department has ever investigated. The boys are accused of holding the girl down while they took turns molesting her.

Having my own 8 year old daughter, my heart had already gone out to this little one and then I read this:

Police said the girl's parents criticized her after the violence, blaming her for bringing shame on the family. All five children are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia.

Authorities said the victim was in the care of Child Protective Services after her parents blamed her for the rapes and bringing shame to the family.

"The father told the caseworker and an officer in her presence that he didn't want her back.

He said

'Take her, I don't want her,"

Hill said.

In her presence she was denied by her father.

Clearly this little girl did nothing wrong, but apparently that is not the way some think in the victim's hometown in Liberia, which is no excuse. Within a few hours this little girl went from having a family to becoming an orphan by her parent's choice.

The reason I share this is because I was thinking, what if Jesus responded to us like this?

Instead of telling the woman with the issue of blood when she reached out to touch Jesus' clothes, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

What if He said: Take her, I don't want her.

Instead of telling the sinful woman who wet His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed them and then poured perfume on them this, "Your sins are forgiven." and "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

What if He said: Take her, I don't want her.

Instead of telling the woman caught in adultery that the Pharisees brought to Jesus, "Go now and leave your life of sin."

What if He said, Take her, I don't want her.

Instead of telling the woman at the well when she asked for the living water He had told her about, "I who speak to you am he."

What if He said, Take her, I don't want her.

Unlike the father of this 8 year old, our Father wants us no matter what we have done or what has been done to us. He simply loves us and when we approach the throne of grace to invite Him to be the center of our life, whether its our first time or we are returning

He says, I'll take her. I want her.

In Beth Moore's He Is DVD teaching she said something that stuck with me so deeply about the love of God when I first heard it back on July 18, 2006.

I went and got the notes I took that day out of my desk drawer so I could quote her correctly.

This is what she said:

"God has welcoming joy over you. You have not gone so far or done so much that He does not welcome you home. That's why Psalm 118 begins with and his love endures forever because the psalmist that wrote it determined that if you could wear out the love of God I would've surely done it. Listen carefully and you will hear the joy and gladness of a God who says...welcome home!"

Knowing the things I have chosen to do in my life and the things I am capable of doing, it is a relief to know that I will never be denied by my Creator. He will always love me.

In His presence we are accepted by our Father.

Let's pray for this little girl and thank God that we are treated so much differently when we approach Him than she was by her earthly father. I know if Alivia was ever shunned by Gene for anything, my Daddy's Girl wouldn't be able to handle it.

I cannot imagine what lies Satan is feeding this child.

Thank You God for your enduring love and that You would never tell us we aren't wanted.

To be wanted and loved by a King is unbelievable. Please put someone that believes and knows this about You in this little 8 year old girls path so that one day she can turn this tragedy into nothing but glory for her Heavenly Father that has everlasting love for her.

I love you...I love you...I love you sweet Jesus.

~Many Blessings~