Orphan Sunday
The first Sunday of November is
Orphan Sunday; a time for the church to collectively draw her eyes and heart to
the plight of orphans at home & abroad.
God’s word speaks plainly to
His concern for the welfare of the orphan, Isaiah 1:17 calls us to Defend the cause of the fatherless… a
theme repeated in the James 1:27, which identifies pure religion as that which looks after the orphan and the widow
in their distress. Our own salvation
through Christ has allowed us, who were spiritually orphaned, to become the
adopted sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Knowing this
should lead us to appreciate His concern for those both spiritually and physically
orphaned all the more.
Just over 2 years ago, our
family embarked on a journey to be obedient to the call to care for just one,
and then two orphans. As God has led us on this path, We have been privileged
to watch two forgotten children blossom into beautiful, beloved daughters and
sisters. God has expanded our physical
family, and He’s expanded our community through relationships with other
adoptive families. Within our family and
within these community relationships, we have laughed and cried. We’ve met milestones
and exceeded expectations. We’ve screamed with frustration, gone without sleep,
drank coffee by the pot-full, and zeroed out bank accounts. We’ve experienced immense tangible blessing
and felt the oppressive weight of intense spiritual attack. We’ve watched the restoration of that which
the locust have stolen…and we’ve cried when we realized that which is gone and
will never be restored until that day our children are whole & healed with
the Lord. And we have held each other up
when our children’s physical bodies could no longer bear the effects of the
suffering they had endured, and they were released home to Christ’s loving arms,
whole & healed. We’ve shared the
Gospel. We have lived the Gospel. And while many try to paint us as extraordinary,
daily we are emptied of our very ordinary selves, for the privilege of being
filled by Christ. We are not
extraordinary, only extraordinarily tired :) And blessed. So blessed are we, that no longer can our call
be to one or two orphans. Though we may or may not ever individually adopt
again, our eyes cannot turn from those who are left behind, and, as commanded
in Isaiah, we can no longer cease to defend the cause of the fatherless.
So, if we may be so bold as to
exhort you, please join us in praying. Praying for those children who wait. For
those families called to them. For the authorities in positions at all levels of
government with influence over their well-being. And for the Body of Christ,
who may be outside these spheres, to recognize their ability to care for
orphans without ever adopting, and thus fulfilling the command of God.
