Jaycee' Return

My heart has been sickened, thoughtful and hopeful all at once this week as the headline story involving Jaycee Dugard broke a few days back . Eighteen years ago Jaycee, age 11, was abducted and, unbeknownst to anyone, remained a captive to her psychopathic abductor. While still in her teens, she bore him two girls who are now 11 and 15.

This story is incredible. What happiness and shock her shattered parents must have experienced at finding her alive at their reunion. Who would have guessed that the release from the grip of this wicked man was possible.

It also makes me shudder that such heinousness exists practically in my own backyard. How could a person live with such “badness” in their heart? How could they be so deceived? As grieved as my heart is over this man’s depravity, the Bible reminds my that any sin, my sin, is just as rebellious and just as offensive to God as Jaycee’s kidnapper’s.

“…[F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23

The earthly effects of his sin, kidnapping and assault and say, my smart mouth might be different, but according to God both are equally defiant.

Jaycee’s story also causes me to hope in the power and sovereignty of God. It is difficult to look at such an entanglement of sin as this, to wince at the tortured, hellish lives of Jaycee’s and her 2 daughters and to not wonder at what the outcome of their new lives will be. How can this woman and her family recover from this or their lives return to anything remotely normal? How can anything good come out of this tragedy?
The answer…I honestly do not know how it can be done but I know that it can. To say that is couldn’t be done would be to put limits on God. God is real and at work. His sovereignty and authority are perfect. He sees all. God knows what happened to Jaycee and her family; and not only does He possess all knowledge, He contains all wisdom and power. This means He knows what can be done for Jaycee. It’s called redemption.

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that is cannot save; nor His ear heavy that is cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1
There is hope for Jaycee and her family in the cross of Christ. They can find forgiveness for their sins against God as well as the ones committed against them because of Jesus. It is my sincerest prayer that they find that Hope.