Beating the Odds Stacked Against Them


"Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." —1 John 3:2–3
Do you ever wonder how Christ would be received if He were born today? He came to Earth as humbly as the poorest child in any modern-day developing country. He didn't live in luxury. His mother and earthly father struggled to even find a safe place for His birth. He didn't have a pint-sized orthopedic mattress in a custom-made crib. He certainly wasn't on a waiting list for an exclusive nursery school.

The world didn't recognize the infant Jesus or care to help. And yet His very existence changed everything.

Beating the Odds Stacked Against Them - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia

Each child is an individual who deserves compassion, love and hope. Not just for who they might grow up to be or what they might become but because of who they are now—a precious child of God. Every day, the most innocent among us live in a harsh, unkind environment where surviving until tomorrow is at the forefront. The future is so far away. It could be filled with struggles and pain. It's not entirely unlike the world our Savior was born into, that he shared the love of God with, and that he ultimately gave His own life to save.

How much easier is it for us, as Christians striving every day to be more Christlike, to merely give compassion and love? What better time is there than now to give the hope of a full belly, clean water and a chance for life-changing education with a child who needs it?

Bridge of Hope Helps Break Down Barriers to Success

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" — Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
What mother doesn't look into the eyes of her child and wish for a happy, healthy future? Mary, the mother of Jesus, surely adored her newborn son. She wanted the best for him. Children bring hope, even when the odds are against them. The world often has other plans, but through sharing God's love, we can intercede and help.

With each new child born in each new generation, a family and community imagines what they might achieve. In the Western world, those possibilities are virtually limitless. In America, even incredibly poor children have access to state-funded education, books and transportation to school.

In developing countries, however, many children are born at an extreme disadvantage. Their potential is tethered to obstacles that are difficult to imagine, many of them beyond a parent's control. But they are not beyond hope.

Bridge of Hope was created to help break those tethers and offer underprivileged children a chance to succeed when the odds are stacked high against them.

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