Her number was called again. She wanted to jump up and run screaming from the room.
CALL OUT TO ME AND I WILL BRING YOU UP OUT OF THIS PIT OF DESPAIR AND SET YOUR FEET UPON THE ROCK. I WILL PROTECT YOU. I WILL PROVIDE FOR YOU. OH, MY BELOVED CHILD, YOU ARE SO VERY PRECIOUS TO ME, SO PRECIOUS I DIED FOR YOU AND ROSE AGAIN THAT YOU MIGHT LIVE IN ME. TRUST ME. OH, MY BELOVED, TRUST ME.
Her boyfriend took her hand and stood. Heart hammering, she stood with him.
He didn’t take her out of the clinic. He handed her over to the woman in the doorway with the clipboard in her hand. The woman smiled and said everything would be all right. Letting go of her, the boy stepped back and turned away. As the girl went forward, she looked back and knew she was alone. When the door closed, death surrounded her.
And into the silence and separation that followed could be heard the weeping of God’s only begotten Son, the Atonement Child.
Beloved,
If this story has opened old wounds, please know that Jesus is waiting with open arms to welcome and comfort you as His own. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that the Lord won’t forgive—and forget. He promises that as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed your transgressions from you. He died for you and rose again so that you can have new life in Him. All you have to do is accept Him. His love is not earned but given as a free gift. That’s my prayer for you: that you will know and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and learn who you are in Him.
In Christ, you are His child. You are raised up with Him. You are forgiven. In Christ, you are a new creation, the very temple of the Holy Spirit. You are delivered from the power of darkness. You are redeemed, blessed, holy, and sanctified. Even now, God is holding your child close. And in Christ, you will be reunited in love.
You are victorious and set free from sin and death. You are more than a conqueror. You are strong in the Lord, able to withstand any storm through Him.
You are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. You are accepted. You are complete in Him. You are crucified with Him, free from condemnation, and reconciled to God Almighty—and reunited with your children. Through Jesus, you are qualified to share in His inheritance. You are a fellow citizen with the saints and the household of God. You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and Jesus Christ is your Cornerstone, your High Priest, your Husband.
You are born of God, and the evil one cannot touch you.
You are overtaken with blessings.
You are called by God.
You are chosen!
You are an ambassador for Christ, a messenger of the Good News. You are healed by the stripes of Jesus, and you are being transformed into His likeness.
You are loved.
You are one in Christ.
You have everlasting life.
You can do all things in Christ Jesus.
His grace and mercy are beyond anything I can explain in words. The Bible is filled with His love for you—and His promises. Please allow yourself to experience this love and forgiveness, to live in it, to walk with Him. Let go of yourself, and cry out to the Lord, and He will hear and answer. He knows all about you. He knows everything you’ve done, where you’ve been, what you’ve said, how you’ve felt, and He loves you with a love everlasting.
The Holy One, Jesus Christ, the most mighty God, holds out His hand to you right now. All you have to do is open the door of your heart and invite Him in.
May it be so.
Francine Rivers
Support Groups
The following national organizations have information and referrals for postabortion counseling and support groups in your area:
American Rights Coalition
www.abortionproblems.net
Please call 1-800-634-2224 for referrals for medical, legal, and emotional assistance.
E-mail address:
[email protected] Care Net
www.care-net.org
Please call 1-800-395-HELP for a referral to the closest Care Net Crisis Pregnancy Center in your area.
Heartbeat International
www.heartbeatinternational.org
1-888-550-7577 (toll-free)
E-mail address:
[email protected] National Office of Post Abortion Reconciliation and Healing
www.noparh.org or hopeafterabortion.com
1-800-5WE-CARE
Will give referrals to Project Rachel programs in Catholic dioceses
E-mail address:
[email protected] Rachel’s Vineyard
www.rachelsvineyard.org
Please call the toll-free national hotline for information: 1-877-HOPE-4-ME (877-467-3463).
Offers weekend retreats for women and men grieving after an abortion
Victims of Choice, Inc.
www.victimsofchoice.org
Offers guidebook for one-on-one abortion-recovery counseling
Discussion Questions
Dear Reader,
You have just finished reading the deeply moving and controversial novel The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers. The author has clearly laid out her desire for everyone touched by the act of abortion to find peace and restoration. She also desires for every reader to seek God’s Word for the answers to every agonizing decision you might be facing. The following study guide is designed to whet your appetite for God’s Word and for discerning His plans for your life.
Dynah was called by God to “come out from among” the majority, the educated, the spiritual leaders, her family and friends to choose God’s way for herself and her unborn child. Similarly, God calls each of us to “come out from among” the popular beliefs and behavior of our culture, to live the life He designed for us. To live out through our actions what we say we believe, to live a life of integrity and obedience to Him.
May God help you discover what you need to “come out from among” in order to stand with Him. May you discover that the peace He offers will flow to those around you as you walk with Him.
Peggy Lynch
1. Read Psalm 139:13-17. What can we learn from this passage about the creation of a new life? Who is involved and to what degree? What does God think about each new life? About your life?
2. Which character in the story do you identify with the most? Why?
3. Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.” Discuss Hannah and Evie in light of this verse. What motivated their decisions? How were they trapped?
4. In what ways did Dynah make her decisions differently? Whom did she fear? How was God a place of safety for her?
5. Contrast Ethan with Joe. How did Ethan’s perceived future affect his decisions and his capacity to be merciful? How did this affect Dynah? What does Galatians 6:2-3 say about helping others?
6. How did Joe’s past affect his decisions and his capacity to listen? What effect did he have in Dynah’s life? What effect did Dynah have in his life?
7. Compare Dr. Wyatt and Dean Abernathy in light of Galatians 6:2-3. What did Dr. Wyatt discover about himself? What did you discover about the dean? Which one ultimately obeyed the law of Christ?
8. Discuss Doug and Hannah’s marriage. What was missing? How did each contribute to their problems? What advice does Galatians 6:1 provide that could have helped them?
9. How did Dynah bring her parents’ marriage issues to a head? How did her decision ultimately bring healing to her family?
10. Read 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, where God says to “come out from among.” Who or what do you need to “come out from among,” and why? What boundaries or limitations do you need to set? What relationships do you need to reevaluate?
11. What areas of grief in your own life has this story helped you identify? What do you plan to do with this information?
12. What are you wrestling with that may be robbing you of a sense of safety and God’s peace? What can you do now to relieve yourself of your heavy burdens? In Matthew 11:28, Jesus say
s, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Listen to Him, beloved!
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Francine Rivers began her literary career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English and journalism. From 1976 to 1985, she had a successful writing career in the general market, and her books were highly acclaimed by readers and reviewers. Although raised in a religious home, Francine did not truly encounter Christ until later in life, when she was already a wife, a mother of three, and an established romance novelist.
Shortly after becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Francine wrote Redeeming Love as her statement of faith. First published by Bantam Books, and then rereleased by Multnomah Publishers in the mid-1990s, this retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea, set during the time of the California Gold Rush, is now considered by many to be a classic work of Christian fiction. Redeeming Love continues to be one of CBA’s top-selling titles, and it has held a spot on the Christian bestseller list for nearly a decade.
Since Redeeming Love, Francine has published numerous novels with Christian themes—all bestsellers—and she has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. Her Christian novels have been awarded or nominated for numerous honors, including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, and the Holt Medallion in Honor of Outstanding Literary Talent. In 1997, after winning her third RITA Award for inspirational fiction, Francine was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Francine’s novels have been translated into more than twenty different languages, and she enjoys bestseller status in many foreign countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa.
Francine and her husband, Rick, live in northern California and enjoy time spent with their three grown children and taking every opportunity to spoil their grandchildren. Francine uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, and she desires that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all He has done and is doing in her life.
Visit her website at www.francinerivers.com.
Francine Rivers, The Atonement Child
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