I saw a post today and wondered what, if any, kind of ripple effect it may have on society. She was a Chinese orphan, her name was Cindy, and she was 3 years old. She had epilepsy and cerebral palsy. She died today. She never found her forever family. She was surrounded by the love of a foster family. They advocated for her permanent placement in a forever home. It wasn't to be.
How does that affect you? What is your gut reaction? Mine? Nausea... because she's just one of millions of children that may never find their forever home. Anger... because there so many of us privileged folks with safe and secure lives and we're basically blind to the need that surrounds us. Heartbreak... because it could have been Joseph. Fear... because how can we ever solve this problem if folks won't step up! Hopelessness... because I don't know how to open the eyes of those around me to the overwhelming statistics.
Let's talk about some of those statistics. I read up on some regarding the children in our world today. These were last updated in April 2016.
- Worldwide, it is estimated there are 140 million orphans. Let that sink in: 140 million orphans. That's roughly the estimated population of an entire country, namely, Nigeria. For a closer to home perspective, NYC only has 8.5 million people in it. Take that number and times it times 16. That's a rough estimate of how many orphan this world houses. That's a lot of kids!
- There are 62.8 million children suffering from malnutrition around the world today. Again, I want you to reread that statement, and let it marinate. Then I want you to go back and think about what just the two most recent holiday meals entailed. Did you ever say to yourself, "I'm sick of leftovers!"? I know I did. 62.8 MILLION. Feels like a sucker punch to your gut, doesn't it? It should.
- Nearly half of all deaths of children under 5 is directly attributable to undernutrition. That translates to the unnecessary loss of roughly 3 MILLION young lives a year. It's staggering, isn't it?
These are just a few of the sad statistics the children of our world are up against. Read more at the following link:
What are we doing about it? I am asking you, my Christian brother and sister in Christ, What are YOU doing about it. Stop, look around at your surroundings, your comfort level, your security and ask, "what am I doing?"
I read a blog article the other day about the angry adoptive mom. I read lots of blogs, mostly written by moms that are in the trenches caring for kiddos, just like me. Some articles are feel good, some are heartbreaking and some are invigorating. This one is invigorating. There is one statement at the end of the blog that caught my attention. She said,
"If anger is the catalyst for an orphan to become a son or daughter, if anger is what it takes for an adoptive family in crisis to have a healthier family stand with them in the fire, then so be it."
Read the rest of that blog here:http://confessionsofanadoptiveparent.com/how-angry-adoptive-moms-are-changing-the-world/
I'll confess, prior to being directly in the path of this hurricane I'm naming Hurricane Adoption, I was woefully, yet blissfully ignorant. On some level I knew there were orphans. I knew there was hunger. I knew there was trafficking, yet somehow, I was able to live with blinders on. Like many of you.
God has taught me a lot of things during this adoption, and if I walk away with anything else besides our son, may it be an "eyes wide open" view point. May my blinders forever be removed from my life, may the scales be forever snatched from my eyes. May I NEVER EVER get so comfortable again in my life that I forget what destitution and heartbreak surrounds me. May my heart be so broken by what breaks my God's heart that I never stop trying to make a difference. May I be ANGRY at the things that bring heartache, harm and death to the precious littles of the world.
I don't believe that that is an unhealthy anger. I believe it is just. When Christ turned over the tables of the money changers in the temple that day, He was ANGRY. The temple was being made a mockery of. The place where worship of our Heavenly Father was to happen had become sullied by the selfish interests of the money changers. He was angry because the purpose of the temple had been perverted by those taking advantage of the weary travelers there for passover.
Our comfortable lives with no thought, no concern, no action to the suffering are mocking the principles God has set forth for us Christians. We are told in James 1:27, "pure and undefiled religion is this: to look after the widows and orphans in their distress..." Isaiah 1:17 instructs us to "learn to do good, seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow". I can keep going, but you get my drift. God commands us to defend the defenseless and who is more defenseless than a child?
I sound angry in this blog entry. I am. Have no doubt that my pulse is racing as I write this, my cheeks flushed. I am typing faster than my fingers can keep up and I am making good use of the backspace button as I fix my typos. When I came across that post today about the passing of Cindy it made me angry. Cindy deserved a family of her own.
This is my wish for you. This is what I want you to take away from this. Be angry, be heartbroken, be awake! Maybe for the first time allow yourself to see the ugliness in this world and never forget it. Be the person God called you to be, reach out into the mire and offer hope. Let your heart be broken by the desperation in the orphan's eyes and the widow's plea. And share. Share your life, share your home, share your heart and share your blessings. Make a difference.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
James 1:22-25
