To Jesus Everyday is Orphan Sunday

Today there are more than 143 million orphans in the world.  Every two seconds another child becomes an orphan. That makes 43,200 new orphans every day.  Approxiamtely 400,000 orphans die every year due to malnutrition; 60 million orphans go to bed hungry.  That means that sixty million orphans cry themselves to sleep every night with pain in their growling, empty tummies, left alone, scared, and hungry.

This past Sunday, thousands of churches both in the US and abroad spent time recognizing Orphan Sunday, some more than others.  It's a day set apart to give people an eye and an ear to God's heart for the millions of orphans around the world.

Our church recognized and spent time praying for those in our congregration who are in the process of adopting. There are five.  We can find ourselves both encouraged and discouraged by that number. Discouraged because only five families against 143 million orphans, that is not a good ratio.  However, encouraged because five less orphans, five children that will no longer be alone and hungry, unloved, untouched or without a family.

There is a child, rejected and fatherless waiting for us to bring them home.  They probably don't even know that is what they are longing for as they find other ways to comfort themselves.  They long to have a mom or dad hug them close, but without it compensate for the loss by possilby pulling their hair out or banging their head on the side of a crib.  Desparately seeking ways to fill those desires of the heart for love. 

Our child happens to be in a foreign land, waiting for us to come to them.  They have no way of finding us, but someday, hopefully soon, we are going to find them.  When we do we will bring them home, call them our son or daughter, give them our name and make them part of our family.  It's the most amazing journey to be on and it is an everyday reminder of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to us.  We are not a Savior for this child, please don't misunderstand, but we will point them to the one who is.  It's what He did for us that moves our hearts to go find our child and bring them home.  Jesus came to a foreign land.  He made a way to bring us home to our Heavenly Father through adoption.  I am beginning to believe that adoption is the closest model to the Gospel we have on earth.  There is nothing we can do to get to Jesus on our own, but He came to us right where we are.  And, when He meets us, He makes us His own.  He defends the weak, fathers the fatherless, touches the untouchable, heals the sick and shamed, accepts the rejected.  He is our Creator God yet our Abba Father.  He is our Savior.

Yesterday was one day in a year that churches all over take a moment, a fleeting moment, to highlight the needs of orphans. But, Jesus, His heart, it beats for every single orphan, EVERY.  SINGLE. DAY.   That's Jesus, that's our savior.  We didn't always see or know this.  We didn't know Him and we didn't know our need for Him.  Our child doesn't know us, or their need for us.  We didn't know the orphan crisis was so severe, but our eyes are open now.  They are open to Him, and by His grace they are open to adoption.  It's a journey we still question how we ever got on.  Ask God to break your heart for what breaks His, and see what happens. 

Jesus Friend Of Sinners by Casting Crowns