Orphan Sunday

It's Orphan Sunday.  Many of you may not know what that is, so here is an expert from http://orphansunday.org/ 
On Orphan Sunday, Christians stand for the orphan. We are a people called to defend the fatherless…to care for the child that has no family…to visit orphans in their distress.

Each event is locally-led. Sermons and small groups, concerts and prayer gatherings, shared meals and youth activities—each rousing believers with God’s call to care for the orphan, and what we can do in response.

From many sources, one voice. On November 4th, 2012, thousands of events echo across America and around the globe, all sharing a single goal: that God’s great love for the orphan will find echo in our lives as well.

Orphan Sunday is your opportunity to rouse church, community and friends to God’s call to care for the orphan.

So this is my platform!  This year, Orphan Sunday is especially significant.  On this day, 4 years ago, my son became an orphan.  Left alone, abandoned on a street corner.  An orphan.  

When he was abandoned, the day he became an orphan, is the first record we have of his existence.  Our older daughter is the same, the first documentation on their lives is the day they became an orphan.  Sad and heartbreaking if I dwell on it too long.

Fortunately, for us, we answered the call to care for orphans in 2006 when we started the adoption process.  I will be honest, at the time I didn't see it as a "calling," just something we were both willing to do.  God used our years of waiting to reveal His plan for us and our role in caring for orphans.  Today OUR part in caring for orphans includes a family with two former orphans, sending others to care for orphans in other countries and sponsoring a few more.  Had we not asked God what our role was, these things would never have happened.

So that's my plea to you, WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO FOR THE ORPHAN?  As believers we are called to help: 

James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

I stop short of saying that everyone should adopt a child, I'm not sure if that is a good suggestion.  I don't know what God wants you to do (it's hard enough to figure out what He wants me to do ;)), but I know His instruction to care for orphans is clear.  Caring can mean so many things, it can mean adoption, one less orphan in this world!  It may mean sponsoring an orphan in another country, there are many trustworthy organizations that make this very easy to do.  It may mean giving money so someone else can go work in an orphanage, it may mean going to that orphanage yourself.  There are so many options!

I also want to add this, after prayerful consideration about what God wants you to do, don't stop there.  There are 147 million orphans worldwide, it's going to take all of us to make a difference.  God may be asking you to sponsor and orphan now, so do it, start today and do it, but keep asking.  Sponsoring an orphan today may be God's way of opening your heart to more, or different things in the future.  And I promise, speaking from experience, you do not want to miss out on what God has for you!!!