Authors-choice: Hope & Revival

Maria, a poor widow lived in a Brazilian village with her fifteen-year-old daughter, Christina. For years, they had survived on Maria’s humble salary but now her beautiful, joyful daughter Christina wanted to find a job too. She dreamed about an exciting life in the big city, even though her mother tried to convince her that a poor, uneducated young girl would only find trouble there. But, one morning Maria awoke to find her daughter’s bed empty.

Maria knew immediately where her daughter had gone. and set out to find her. On her way to the bus stop, she went into a photograph booth at the drugstore and spent all she could on pictures of herself. With her purse full of small black and white photos, she boarded the next bus to Rio de Janeiro.

She knew Christina had no way of earning money, but was too stubborn to give up. When pride meets hunger, a human will do things that were before unthinkable. Maria began her search through bars, hotels, nightclubs, and other places with a reputation for streetwalkers. At each place she left her picture – taped to a hotel bulletin board, fastened to a corner phone booth. And on the back of each photo, she wrote a note. Soon Maria’s money and photos ran out, and she took the bus back to her small village.

A month later young Christina descended the stairway at a cheap hotel. Her face was tired. Her formerly joyful eyes now spoke of pain and fear. Her dream had become a nightmare. She felt hopeless, trapped, and ashamed, and wanted to go home. Yet the little village was, in many ways, too far away.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes noticed a familiar face. She looked again, and taped on the lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother. Christina’s eyes burned and her throat tightened as she walked across the room and removed the small photo. Written on the back was this compelling invitation:

“Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn’t matter. Please come home.” She did.

Sin, of any kind, big or little, eventually causes misery. It separates us from God. But without God, it is impossible for us to live a meaningful life. This is why God’s mercy is so crucial. Jesus is God’s picture taped to a Roman cross, inviting us to come home, so he can save us from the destructive power of sin.

[This illustration adapted from “Hot Illustrations”, copyright 2001, Youth Specialties, Inc. Originally told in “No Wonder They Call Him Savior” by Max Lucado.)