No Orphans of God

 There is no greater love than that a man or woman lay down his or her life for God's children, to take them into their homes to show them God's love. I know several Christians who have taken to heart the mission of fostering, adopting or caring for children in need. I admire their dedication, patience and self-sacrificing attitudes. A commitment of this nature takes 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love and tons of support. Sometimes the support is not readily available either.  I really appreciate the way we can support each other on the journey through social media, email and telephone calls as well as the few precious so-journers with whom we fellowship in person. Yet, there are still so many children in need of love. Who will help them?

The statistics are stunning as you will soon see. There is an overwhelming number of  children who are abused, neglected, abandoned or simply impoverished across the world. The good news is that the church as a whole is stepping up to the plate to develop orphanages and children's homes. As well, an increasing number of adoptive families and individuals are taking even the "difficult to place" children. Nevertheless, the fields are white with harvest and the laborers are few when you look at the vast need.

I have been deeply disturbed by the footage of Haiti these days. My heart almost stops when I see all the children left as orphans in the aftermath of this horrific quake in a country that was already peppered with  malnourished men, women and children. Fifty percent or more of Haiti's population is under the age of 18. It breaks my heart. I think it breaks God's heart too.

I cried and, asked God, "Why?" The faces of the children haunt me. Then I was reminded that God is in control. Just as He takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, He also takes care of His little ones who have no parents or whose parents cannot care for them. They are ever under His watch especially after such horrific tragedy. Looking through human eyes, I think how? Often the help and care comes through us, His other children. God is the Father but He has trusted us with the means to help our siblings all over the world. Not all of us have financial wealth to share but we can all do something.

A few of my blogger-mom friends have Haitian children. Several of the churches with whom I am in contact  support missions in Haiti. I was delighted to learn that our church raised $12,000 to help Haiti last Sunday.  I was absent due to illness but I will be looking for some way that I, too, can help.

There are children in the U.S. who are orphaned either through the death of their parents or through placement in foster care. They are near and dear to the heart of God. What can we do to reach them with His love, to show them that they are not forgotten?

There are three possible responses to their plight:

1. The easiest but least effective response is to turn a deaf ear, look away and say, "There's nothing I can do about that". See Proverbs 21:3.

2. Another human response is to ask "God, Why? Where are You in this situation?"  Periodically, the Biblical times prophets and even Jesus questioned and felt forsaken by God. Read 2 Kings 2:14,  Habbakuk 1;1-4 and Matthew 27:46.

3. The best alternative is to become part of the solution, if possible. Go to: Psalm 82:3-4, Proverbs 28:27 and Isaiah 58: 6-7.

Of course, there is something in it for you too, even though I know you aren't doing it for a reward. Check out: Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 22:9, Matthew 19:31 and Matthew 25:35.

Last but not least, I want to share this video to a song that our church choir is preparing to record. Every time I  play the song, I tear up. There are no orphans of God. 



 Caring for orphans in the same way God cares for us is a privilege; it is an invitation to join God right at the center of His heart as the Father to the fatherless.

Steven Curtis Chapman

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5