I'm supposed to be taking quizzes and doing work for my online class, but instead, I've spent an hour or so looking at pictures and reading the stories of Chinese orphans. I sat here and laughed, cried, and felt a little more of the Lord's heart for these children.
This all got me thinking. Everyone who knows me well (heck...even most who just know me) know that I have a heart for adoption and the nations (particularly China). I've felt that call upon my life to be involved in international adoptions. But what I want to know is what role are Christians and the church supposed to play in adoption and in the lives of the millions of orphans in the world?
Psalm 82:3 (in the Message) says, "You're here to defend the defensless, to make sure that the underdogs get a fair break. Your job is to stand up for the powerless, and prosecute all those who exploit them."
James 1:27 says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
What does "look after" mean, though? The Greek word for this is "episkeptomai" - to relieve the problem. So, this isn't exactly an easy job when it comes to orphans. This means we are supposed to meet their needs of housing, food, clothing, and a family who loves them. Wow. That is a lot to take on.
I believe everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ has an obligation to these children. Now, I'm not saying everyone needs to go and pick out a kid or two to add on to the family. I'm saying we are supposed to prayerfully consider how the Lord would have us pour into the lives of these children. This outpouring of the heart can take place in many different forms. First of all, we are supposed to pray for these children. I think the Lord would have some of us give financially. There are so many ways to support children directly, but also there are ways to donate to different organizations, or to support the adoptive families. The adoption process is not cheap, and some organizations provide grants and the like to help out families who are providing a home for these kids. And of course, some of us may be called do be the adoptive families.
Some ways to get involved in the lives of these children can be found at these links:
Please take some time to look through some of these sites, and seriously pray about how you might help. I know I sound like one of those "feed the children" commercials...but I really mean this. The Bible clearly says we are supposed to help these kids, and they definitely need our help and love.
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