The David Goldman Story

The associate press recently reported that Sean Goldman has been returned to his biological father, David Goldman. Let me summarize this story for you.

On June 16, 2004, David Goldman brought his Brazilian wife, Bruno, her parents, and his four year old son Sean to the Newark Airport in New Jersey.

David thought his wife was just taking a short trip to Brazil with their son, but once she got there, she divorced David and told him that if he wanted to see his son again, he had to give her sole custody.

David filed for a custody hearing in New Jersey, which is in accordance to international law, but his wife's new husband, a lawyer, is well-connected in the Brazilian political establishment, and was therefore able to avoid the law.

When David's wife died in 2009, her Brazilian husband sought to move David's name from Sean's birth records, so that David would no longer be legally considered Sean's father.

A custody hearing was finally scheduled for December 22, 2009, in which David won his son back and is now on his way home, 4 1/2 years since he last saw his son!

How we admire a father who is determined to have his son back no matter what the cost. Many people have grown up without a father. Or worse, many grew up with a father that showed very little interest in them. Maybe you're thinking to yourself: how I wish I had a father who loves me as much as David loves his son Sean.

The fact of the matter is you do; actually, He loves you much more.

Many have this picture of God as a tyrant who is just acking to judge us. We see Him as this stern figure, looking down from heaven in contempt, shaking his finger at us. One bumper sticker I once read said: Jesus is coming soon, and boy is he mad.

In many ways this is true. Jesus is mad. He's angry about the millions of children sold as sex slaves each year. He's angry about the billions who go to bed hungry, when He has provided more than enough food to feed everyone. He's angry about the endless violence done in His name. Wouldn't you be if someone was doing this to your children?

God is angry, because He is love. This world is a place of indescribable suffering. If we were to see it all for a moment, we would surely lose our sanity. But God sees every bit of it.

We must never forget that God is Love. His justice, His wrath, His laws, must all be understood in the context of His love. More than anything else, the Bible is the story of a Father who passionately pursues His wayward children and is seeking to bring them home.

In Genesis, we read that God made everything good. In chapter 3, we learn about how our parents were deceived by the Devil, who spoke through a serpent. In between we have the record of God's desperate desire to get us back, to communicate His love and power to us. To let us know that help is on the way, and not to give up. We learn that God's rescue plan involved more than starting a website, appearing on tv shows, and hiring expensive lawyers. Our rescue cost the life of our Creator. Jesus Christ, who made all things, gave His life to save us.

For God so loved the World, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

God demonstrates His own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners: Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

God wants you to know this:

First of all, I understand. I'm not angry at you. Yes, the things you do make me angry because I can see the pain they inflict on you and others. But I understand why you do them. I don't hate you. I want to help you. There is hope in your future. I have good plans for your life. I want to make you happy. I want to teach you what true happiness is all about. I want to make you just like me. I want to teach you to trust me. Will you let me in?

God's plan to save you has already been accomplished. But now you must choose. Will you give up your selfishness and let Jesus show you what true unselfishness is all about? Will you let God make you into what you were meant to be? Will you be reconciled with God?



Song Title: "For I Know The Thoughts" from the CD: Sing To The Lord

Music by Trilogy Scripture Songs