Everyone Needs a Family

“Who will take care of my children when I die?” she asked in a whisper.  “No one will want them because they know I am dying of AIDS.”  Flora’s tears flowed, her face a mixture of anguish and fear. She was the first dying mother I had ever encountered and I had no answers for her; I was nearly mute in the presence of her suffering. My assurances that I would pray for her and her children were woefully inadequate.  How could my words of intercession be enough to cover the needs of her soon-to-be-orphaned young children?  Her face, her heartrending question, and the certainty that Flora is no longer here haunts me seven years later. 

What has happened to her precious babies?  Did a kind relative open her home to them?  Was a neighbor brave enough to overcome the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS to welcome these little ones?  Did a family in their church listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and make space at their table for three more hungry mouths?  Or are those three children growing up in an institution—an orphanage—that will keep their bodies alive but give them no long-term hope for a normal life?  Or even worse: are they on the unforgiving streets of Maputo, Mozambique, scrounging out an existence? Or worst of all—did their status as vulnerable orphans lead to an untimely death?

While most of us give very little thought to the 143 million orphans in the world, God is passionately concerned for them.  The fact that a child is orphaned due to AIDS every 14 seconds rips at his heart.  The reality that 25% of the population of Nigeria is orphans grieves him.  The status of Flora’s three children is on his mind every day.

In Proverbs 23:10-11 (NEB), God reveals himself as a powerful guardian for orphans and vulnerable children:

 “Don’t move the boundaries or encroach on the land of orphans; they have a powerful guardian who will take up their cause against you.”

In this passage, God uses the example of stealing land from an orphan to reveal how he feels about them. To steal land from a neighbor is obviously wrong, but to take land from a fatherless child is reprehensible in God’s eyes!  As their powerful guardian, it makes him furious!  Other translations call him their advocate, their redeemer, their champion, their savior, their deliverer, the All-Powerful God.  More than Super Man or Iron Man, they have GOD as their guardian and He will “take up their cause against you!” 

Don’t be fooled by the nice language. God is sending out a warning: He’s gonna do some serious butt-kicking to anyone who takes advantage of, hurts, manipulates, steals from, exploits, terrorizes, wounds, or in any way hurts vulnerable children.  They are under his special protection: he calls himself the Father to the Fatherless (Ps. 68:5 NLT) and He will avenge any wrong done to them.  You do NOT want to be on the wrong side of God when it comes to orphans—He is fanatical in his passion and love for them!

So much so that how we treat orphans and widows is a litmus test of our spiritual life and our love for God.

James 1:27 (NLT) “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.”

It’s not an option, folks.  Caring for orphans and vulnerable children is not just for a few people; this is not a matter of economics or spiritual gifts or personal interests.  This is not for some of us, but for ALL of us.  Having a heart that is tender towards children without a family is a test of our love for God.  If we say we love God but do nothing on the behalf of the world’s vulnerable children, we are kidding ourselves; we’re ignorant and misinformed.  You simply cannot love God without developing a passion for orphans.

Scripture also teaches that what God has done for us spiritually, he desires for us to share physically.  God adopted each of us when we were spiritual orphans, without a home, a family, a father.  We were vulnerable, unable to earn our way into his family, and had nothing going for us.  But, because of his unbelievable, amazing mercy and grace, we are now a part of his forever family, equal heirs with our older brother, Jesus.  We have been adopted; we know the joy of belonging.  From grateful hearts, we must now look at our vulnerable little brothers and sisters and seek a home and a family for them.

Russell Moore says, “Adoption is not just about couples who want children – or who want more children.  Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself.”

Not everyone should adopt, but more should than do. Every family should at least ask the question, “God, do you want our family to foster or adopt a child?” How do you know the answer unless you’ve asked the question?

One hundred and forty-three million children—perhaps Flora’s three are among them—are waiting for us who name the name of Jesus to take them home.

5 Comments »

1. Another interesting idea related to this kind of adoption is adopting people who we wouldn’t usually think need parents. Some people have lost their parents, and no matter what age they are or situation they are in, it’s still our responsibility to come along side them and care for them. Not in a condescending way - it a real, caring way.

   -Marshall Jones Jr.

   Comment by bondChristian - Feb 05, 2010 @ 12:46 PM

2. Why does every Christian seem to have a ‘litmus test’ for being spiritual?  You have to love orphans, or widows, or black people, or Muslims, or street people, or church, or organ music, or percentage giving, or children, or single moms, or the elderly, or foreign missions, or food pantries, or Christian music, or poor people, or quiet times or whatever one’s pet thing happens to be.  I can’t do all that.  I am a broken, yet forgiven human being whom Jesus loves and has equipped me in a very small way to demonstrate my faithfulness in what he has built into me to do.  Informing me I need to do or feel something else is misguided.

   Comment by Jesse James - Feb 11, 2010 @ 12:09 PM

3. James, Kay is not informing you on anything new. She us simply stating the truth that it’s not optional for us as believers to not care for the orphan. Everything else you listed Christian music, food pantries etc. Those are not commands as caring for the poor, orphan, and widow. You are right YOU can not do it all. However God does not equip us in a small way, HE has equiped you in Big ways to do these not through your own strenght but through His. If we were counting on doing this by ourselves we are kidding ourselves and really robbing him of Glory to even but a limit through what He can do through us. Simple inadequte us.Loving widows, orphans like us said black people and Muslim okay seriously that just fumes me. He is LOVE therefore once you dip into His love you should love no question. If you have a hard time with loving the people that you have mentioned or even seeing it as a chore, you should question your very love for him. Harsh, but I would speak diffrently if you called your self a non-believer, but you said you are forgiven and that leads me to believe you are a believer. .I pray that you would become broken (as you say) with the very things that break His heart.Hopefully you would see that putting orphan care in the same category as Christian music or ““pet thing” is a misrepresentation of Gods love.

   Comment by Natalie Teabo - Feb 21, 2010 @ 11:44 AM

4. Preach it, Kay Warren!
   Amen, Natalie Teabo!
   I see where Jesse James is coming from…the big pressure in Church to be who everyone else wants you to be and take on the passions that everyone else has…until you feel like you’re not yourself anymore but just burdened by obligation. Be who you are, Jesse James.

   This website and this conference is a place for ideas and self-development in our faith. Take it for what it’s worth…what Kay Warren says is true and right, but if you feel it’s not for you, then just appreciate her passion and move on. She’s simply doing what God has called HER to do (being a voice for this specific cause).
   Christianity isn’t about do’s and don’ts, but it is about compassion and respecting/caring for humanity. At least see that in this article…and even if you don’t want to feel pressure to adopt, take from this article the fact that what Kay Warren says is true: that we should be aware of the needs around us and we should be willing to love whomever God calls us to, at whatever cost.

   But you’re right (in the general sense)....God didn’t call all Christians to meet all needs. That’s why we’re the body of Christ, only together can we do it all. Don’t limit yourself to what God can do through you, but also don’t feel pressure to do what’s outside of what you’re called to, just because it’s someone else’s calling and passion. But then ALSO, if it’s not your calling…be carefuly not to judge other people for having strong passions for what God has called THEM to be a voice for!

   Comment by nadine.w - Feb 23, 2010 @ 01:52 PM

5. Thank you, Nadine.  I think you understand more my perspective.  I am simply sensitive the “church world”.  I grew up in a Baptist cult.  If one did not abide by the belief assumptions of the group, one received the “slow burn”.  Asking questions, challenging thoughts and just generally ‘thinking’ was not allowed.  I am not ‘judging’.  Matthew 7 is a prohibition concerning ‘judgementalism’, not discernment.  Discernment is a must. That said, I am not judging.  I grew up in the mecca of judgementalism.

   Comment by Jesse James - Feb 25, 2010 @ 12:22 PM

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