Both Children, and, the Elderly, taken from a normal life, and, placed into THE SYSTEM, suffer greatly! Not to underrate those who also suffer under normal conditions, but, the orphans, and, the displaced Elderly, REALLY suffer!!!
I was in an orphanage for a while, and, I KNOW their predicament, especially, the ones who are never adopted, LOVED, or cared for! Although, I will say that the one I was in, was very nice, clean, well run, and, took care of them, for the most part! It was ran by some very tough Nuns, who had their own way of showing affection, which often, was not kind, yet, I did not witness any serious abuse, neglect, or, other such! HOWEVER, throughout the world, the orphans are in horrendous conditions, and circumstances, and, so are the Elderly; in EVERY country, including ones you would imagine would be more enabled, informed, or trained! I work with the Elderly in Nursing, Retirement, Rehab Homes, and there ARE definite problems; problems that take those in their care, down, and fast!!!
In some countries, since the orphanages are over-filled, Children are put into the streets, and I have also, been there, done that! This is no way for a Child to develop, or grow up! In some of these countries, tough times have created severely tough people running the streets, so, these little ones, become pawns...
What can we do? As much as is possible, even in the slightest ways, like praying for them, donations, contributing goods, and keeping tabs on what is going on with them, all around the world! Accountability for those in charge of both groups, is minimal, and prone to be falsified on paper! Just reading the many available horror stories of the plight of some of these Children, and, Elderly, sends shivers down the spine...
Many of the world's orphans have proven to be cold, hard, and unable to accept LOVE, though, one should NEVER give up on them, because LOVE cuts through ALL obstacles! Oh LORD, I have to THANK YOU for TEACHING me LOVE when there was none, because I am fortunate to not have suffered many emotional scars, despite the physical ones!!!
Some of these Children, and the Elderly, become the product of their environments, taking on violence, and other self-defense mechanisms in order to retain SOME control over their lives! I was pretty tough too, but, ALWAYS believed in, and existed in LOVE! I have witnessed sweet Elderly people becoming as violent as they can muster, due to their circumstances, which, is ALWAYS explained away TO the good of those caring for them...
Children, and the Elderly, should NOT have to endure the things TOO MANY of them ARE enduring! I wish I had an answer, but, given the ENORMITY of the situation, it is NOT an easy task! However, awareness, care, and action, however insignificant, goes a LONG ways to curbing their undeserved dilemma's!!!
The BOOK of DEUTERONOMY holds clear instruction about us caring for the Fatherless, orphaned, and Widows. One such verse is:
DEUTERONOMY 10: 17-18...
17/ For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods, the LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes;
18/ who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.
The NEW TESTAMENT also, includes reminders of our responsibilities towards others, such as:
JAMES 1: 27...
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
NOT ONLY these instructions, but LOVE IS THE LAW, and LOVE PROVIDES for ALL!!!
We will, over the coming months, explore this issue in greater detail, and pray to find some workable solutions to aiding those who MOST NEED us!!!
May *GOD* BLESS, and BE with us ALL, and may HIS LOVE be as our own! PRAISE HIM, WORSHIP HIM, and GIVE THANKS for ALL HE PROVIDES for us, in whatever ways, for HE IS GENEROUS, LOVING, KIND, COMPASSIONATE, and UNRELENTING IN HIS LOVE for HIS own!!!
MARK 9: 37...
"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the one who sent me."
Mark probably intends this incident and the sayings that follow as commentary on the disciples' lack of understanding (Mark 9:32). Their role in Jesus' work is one of service, especially to the poor and lowly. Children were the symbol Jesus used for the anawim, the poor in spirit, the lowly in the Christian community.
REV. LWINSOR © 2012
BIBLICAL, and/or, other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS
2 comments:
I was reading the latest on the Russian Adoption Ban, as well as stories about adopted Children, and was reminded that we DON'T pay enough attention to this area of LOVE! Throughout THE WORD we HAVE been instructed to care for the Fatherless, the orphaned, the widowed, the downtrodden, and so forth...
There are well over 210 MILLION Children orphaned in the world, which, is probably more like 300 MILLION because, this figure is from 2010, and, in 2007, it was 163 Million, so logically, it COULD certainly be around 300 Million! Close to 20 Million of these are fully orphaned...
Christians also need to understand that the biblical concept of “orphans” or “the fatherless” found throughout Scripture is a category that includes much more than just the boy or girl who has lost both parents. Rather, it describes the child that faces the world without provider or protector. Some children who fit this description have one living parent. In some cases, such children may even have two living parents who’ve abandoned or abused them, or simply have no capacity to care for them. No statistical analysis will ever perfectly capture the global number of children who fit in this category, but that need be of little concern. Ultimately, God’s call is to defend the defenseless child—whatever the particulars of her situation may be.
Post a Comment