Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.
James 1:27
Wow. Kind of takes the air out of you for a moment, right? God is serious about us needing to care for the vulnerable populations. To be obedient we need to be looking after orphans and widows. Don’t get us wrong….we do not think that everyone should feel obligated to adopt. Adoption is just one of the many ways that we can care for those who can’t care for themselves. My sister and brother-in-law support a child overseas by giving financially to a reputable organization. Our church has set-up a partnership with an orphanage in India to make it easy for members to support children with specific needs. The money sent to the orphanage pays for meals, school supplies, medical care, housing and clothes. Along with the partnership in India, our church has also partnered with OWT (Orphans and Widows of Tanzania). These are just a few examples of ways that we can respond to the above passage.
As for us, we feel God has put adoption in our life as an answer to this call in James. Will we stop there? No way!! We continue to watch for opportunities that arise to help those around us and we will make international missions a priority for our family.
Ultimately we all have to deal with how we are answering the call that God has put on our lives. In working in the hospital I meet many widows, some have family who care for them but many do not. Do you have an elderly neighbor that needs some repairs done on their house or just wants a friend to chat with over a cup of tea?
We would love to hear the ways you are responding to the needs of orphans and widows…
