We are not the helpless ones.

I've been overwhelmed by helplessness this week. The magnitude of the orphan crisis in this world completely overwhelms me and shuts me down when I start thinking too deeply about it. I imagine that's what prevents so many from becoming involved. The reasoning that if you can only help one, what does it matter? Can you imagine if all of us helped one? The problem would cease to exist. We are so busy living our lives for ourselves and our families that we refuse to give God's commands a second thought. We believe that ministering to orphans is not our calling, but someone else's. I believed this for the last 5 years. I thought that God's plan for us was to build a house and become self-sustainable so that we would have to rely on no one, even Him. What silly thinking that was! God can't work in our lives if we don't have to rely on Him at all.

God met me right where I was a couple days ago, by means of the Fostering Hope devotional put together by Dr. Deb Shropshire, a pediatrician devoted to helping foster children in Oklahoma. I beg you, please pray this prayer and begin to be obedient to his command,  "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." - Psalm 82:3. Prayer from Day 5 of the devotional,

"Lord, open my eyes to see the needs of those around me. Take away my busyness, my pride, my belief that my action or inaction will not make a difference. Give me your compassion. Give me your Passion! Break my heart for those who are suffering. Every day. Amen." 


Some stats from the devotional:
Foster children move an average of 4 times in 20 months.
3/4 of the children who enter foster care are neglected, lacking in resources such as food, shelter or supervision.
Half of the teens in the juvenile justice system have previously been in foster care.
More than half of the adults in prison were in foster care as children.
Only half of children who age out of foster care will complete high school or earn a GED. Only 2% complete college.
There are a half-million children in foster care across the U.S.

Like Robin Jones said in a NewsOK article,   "The church is mandated by Scripture to take care of orphans and the fatherless. It's sort of not up for negotiation.” Together, we can change the fate of these children.

I always stewed over the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" I found the answer. Because of the sin of passivity. 80% of foster children end up in our prisons. These children that we're too busy and too self-absorbed to help are the people who grow up and rob our houses and murder our loved ones. We have to change the cycle of abuse and heal these children.

Join us for Walk-A-Mile on April 30th in Bricktown to create awareness and speak to different agencies about ways to help. Most of these children only have a black trash bag to transport their things in. If you can't make it and have a suitcase or bag to donate, Seth and I would be glad to take them downtown for you.

"We should be concerned. And may that concern fuel our actions. May it compel us to get out of our comfortable lives where most of our concern is for ourselves, and to be concerned for someone else for a change." - Dr. Deb Shropshire, from her blog post, "No concerns."

Watch this one minute video and commit to helping through advocacy, mentoring, fostering or adopting a child. 

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