Orphan Sunday: Nov. 12
"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." - Romans 8:14-17.
Orphan Sunday is Nov. 12 this year, and All Things New is hoping that everyone who reads this gets involved!
I (Matt) want to tell you a story of something that happened recently in our home:
A few nights ago, I was writing an article when I heard my son Ezekyal start to cry and call for me. It was a really sad cry and he was clearly either scared or sad. He had been asleep for about 4 hours and all of a sudden he just very loudly cried out "Daddy!"
As soon as I heard him cry, I went back to the room as quickly as possible to see what was wrong. I put my head close to his and asked him if he was ok. When he said no, I scooted him over a little bit and I laid down with him while he gathered himself and stopped crying. I put my hand on his head and I made sure he felt safe and protected.
When he calmed down and after a few minutes passed, I kissed him on the head, asked him if he was ok, and told him to go back to sleep...He did.
The Point: We all need a Father, a Daddy who we can call on and, as soon as He hears our voice, He is right there. He is ready to protect us and comfort us and make us feel ok no matter what we are going through.
Ezekyal knows that when he needs me and he calls me, I will drop everything else and be there for him...Immediately. I cannot always make the hurt stop or the sadness go away, but I can be there for him whenever it comes up.
That is what it means to be the son of a father who loves you.
Every person reading this right now either is a son/daughter of a Father like that or has the immediate option to be one. Not just a Father who is there, but a daddy who loves you. GOD is not only that type of Father and Daddy, but He is that type of Father perfectly and 100% of the time, something far better than any dad on earth.
The Second Point: There are millions of children in the world just like Ezekyal who cry, and nobody ever comes. Who need protection and help and nobody ever wraps their arms around them. Who cry out in the night, and nobody scoots them over in their bed lies down next to them, and tells them everything is ok.
That is not ok, that should break our hearts, and knowing that a world like that exists where kids do not have parents should change us. Knowing that there are millions of kids who go to bed without the love of a mom or dad should make us do whatever we can to help. Especially because everyone reading this knows around 30 kids (the kids at ATN) who used to be in this very same position.
Orphan Sunday exists to bring attention to those two ideas:
1. That there is a Father, a Daddy, who loves you perfectly and is always, no matter what, there to protect you.
2. That there are children who need you to be the physical representation of that type of Father and Daddy in this world right now.
Orphan Sunday is just a little over 2 weeks away. I would greatly encourage you to participate and help to bring that message to people all over the world. Here are some ways you can do that:
- Get your church to bring awareness of the orphan problem in the world that Sunday. Show a video, discuss it from the pulpit, bring in a guest speaker, or highlight an organization like All Things New that exists to help children across the world.
- Give to an organization that is taking on the problem and trying to be there for kids who need parents to love them. If you choose All Things New, there is even a donate button at the top of this email or you can click here.
- Consider and pursue the idea of adoption, foster care, or some other work with children who need the love of a mom and dad. There are resources in every city that could help you get started.