We Who are Ordinary

If you were someone who studied trends in causes of the Christian church throughout history, you might have all kinds of statistics pointing to "the orphan" and "orphan care" as among the more popular topics today. That is my assumption anyway; since it's likely that neither you nor anyone else I personally know actually studies such trends, I'm only left to guess. Perhaps I'll google it later, but probably not.

Really though, everywhere I look and read, Christians are talking about orphans and their care. And somewhere along the way I finally started paying attention. A girl can only hear James 1:27 so many times before something clicks. Orphans, huh.

My attention gave way to concern. And that concern began to give way to action. Slowly. And almost so subtly that I didn't even notice it at first. Had I noticed, I might have tried to do something to excuse myself from this thing called the orphan care movement.

It's quite easy for me to count myself out from getting involved. I have limited resources, I am currently raising three young children, I have many obligations right here where I am, and so on. This might sound familiar to many of you.

On top of all that, just look at how ordinary I am. I grew up in a Christian home and came to know Jesus in a very non-dramatic fashion. I married a good man who provides enough for us to live here in our average home in the middle of America. We are two of many members in a big ol' church, and we are never called on to preach or anything like that. We don't even lead a small group. There's no way that I have as much to offer as, say, someone who already runs a nonprofit for this sort of thing.

I feel a bit like Moses, who, when God called him to lead His people to the promised land, thought his slowness of speech and tongue would disqualify him from service. "Oh Lord, please send someone else to do it," he said (see Exodus 3:1-4:11).

However plain and ordinary we may feel though, God, who is extraordinary, does seek to use all of us who are willing to do His work. And He calls us to do this work alongside of Him; He gives us the words to say, and in Moses' case even the ability to say them (Exodus 4:12).

When considering God's call to care for the orphan, we must be careful to understand what that is versus what it is not. Sure, some will respond to that call by selling all that they own and moving to a remote African village to run an orphanage. Others who see the great need may feel led to international adoption. I think it would be wise if we all at least prayerfully consider both these types of involvement. But many who do not feel such a specific call to do either of these things (I'll leave it between you and the Lord to determine what a "specific call" might mean for you) excuse themselves entirely from the effort of orphan care.

This is not how it should be. No one can do everything, but we all can do something. There are many other ways to support the cause of the orphan such as direct support through child sponsorship, foster parenting in your own communities, parenting support, community development, special needs ministries, HIV/AIDS prevention, and others. With technology today, you can be an orphan advocate without ever leaving your house.

Ask yourself this question: "How can I personally get involved in caring for the orphan?" and let God move you into action. But don't be surprised when through the natural course of your obedience, even though you may start in your living room, you end up going to the ends of the earth for the least of these.

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All these topics and more will be discussed at the upcoming !C//Orphan Conference in NW Arkansas on February 25th-26th, led by some amazing "thinkers and practitioners" in orphan care. I will be attending because I believe the least of these are central to God's heart, and I want to be about what He is about. Trends may come and go, but God does not change. Won't you join me? We can be ordinary together.

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