Orphan Sunday

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the importance of caring for orphans (see, for example, Deut. 10:18, Deut. 24:19, Ps. 68:5 and James 1:27).  In response to this I want to ask two questions: “why?” and how?”

First, why?  Why does the Lord so strongly stress caring for orphans?

God’s heart is a father’s heart.  He is moved with compassion for the children in this world who have no one to care for them.  He calls on his people – under the old covenant Israel, and under the new covenant the Church – to work with him to care for those children in need.

Also, God want us to understand how very important children are in his scheme of things.  To illustrate this point I’d like to quote first a passage of Scripture, then a brief excerpt from a book.  First, Matthew 18:1-6:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

And he called a child to himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

These words of the Lord remind us that we must approach him and his kingdom the way children do: with humility and, as is mentioned elsewhere in the Scriptures, with faith.  But, lest we fool ourselves into thinking it is only certain childlike qualities that are desirable, Jesus also stated unequivocally that children themselves are valuable to him.

Next, a quote from Too Small to Ignore by Wess Stafford, taken from the beginning of the book’s introduction:

Late one evening D. L. Moody, the premier American evangelist of the 1800s, arrived home from speaking at a meeting.  Emma, his wife, was already asleep.  As her exhausted husband climbed into bed, she rolled over and murmured, “So how did it go tonight?”

“Pretty well,” he replied.  “Two and a half converts.”

His wife lay silently for a moment pondering this response, then finally smiled.  “That’s sweet,” she replied.  “How old was the child?”

“No, no, no,” Moody answered.  “It was two children and one adult!  The children have their whole lives in front of them.  The adult’s life is already half-gone.”

Children are estimably valuable for so many reasons, including the reasons alluded to in the words of Jesus, and in the anecdote about the Moodys: children still have most of their lives yet to live; their little minds and hearts are still tender and moldable; their view of the world is not likely to be jaded; they approach others without pretense, without pride; they have a far easier time placing their faith in God.

But perhaps more important than any of these is the fact that each child has an intrinsic worth as a human being, a God-breathed living soul.  To adults who are busy doing adult things in an adult-oriented world, this can be easy to forget.  All too many adults fall into the trap of thinking of children as nuisances to be put up with, troublemakers to be shooed away, or burdens to be borne until they’re able to pull their own weight.

But the Lord reminds us that these are his little ones, that even the lowliest child in the most forgotten corner of the earth is as valuable to him as the most inspiring leader, the greatest humanitarian, the most accomplished artist, the most famous celebrity.

After the question of “why?” is “how?”  When the Lord tells us to care for orphans, how do we put that command into action?  Here are a few possibilities:

Give a home to a child. Adopt, whether domestically or internationally.  Provide a home for foster children; no matter how short their time with you, it could make the ultimate difference in their lives.

Donate your time and money to families and organizations that help children. If you are unable to give a home to a child who needs one, then help someone else who is otherwise able but needs some financial assistance.  Or help one of the many organizations that exist to help meet the needs of children in your community and around the world.

Regarding the above two suggestions, I will note briefly that there are controversies over whether it’s best to adopt domestically, or internationally; whether it’s better to give money to adoptive families, or directly to birth families so they can keep their children; and which of the many organizations is most deserving (or not).  While these controversies are worth your consideration, do not let them stop you from giving. Regardless of what course of action you choose, your effort will not be wasted.  Just do something, anything, whatever you can!

Be a positive presence in the lives of children. So often our solutions focus so much on meeting physical needs, and the money needed to meet those needs, that we lose sight of the fact that children need love as much as food, clothing or shelter.

They need to know someone cares about them, and takes an interest in their lives.  They someone to give them direction, training, correction and discipline.  They need someone to be proud of them, show them respect, show them how valuable they are.  They need someone to introduce them to Jesus.  They need someone to pray for them.

While many children abroad face problems such as famine, drought, war, and disease, many children here in America face a whole different set of problems: absentee parents (especially fathers); abuse and neglect; negative influences from peers, popular culture, even their schools.  Though you might not be able to help a child in a third-world country, you can help the one that lives next door to you.  Though they still live at home, they may have “lost” their one or both parents nonetheless: to divorce, careers, drugs, alcohol, television, or relationship breakdowns.

Pray for children. Pray for the children you know: nieces, nephews, grandchildren, neighbors, friends, other people’s kids.  Pray for the children you don’t know: when you read about them in the newspaper or a magazine, or see them on television.  Pray for their welfare.  Pray that they will know and love Jesus.  Pray that the Lord will send help to them when they need it.

Whatever you do, don’t forget the orphans.

(I plan to return to my previous series on evolution/creation in my next post.)

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