When a Sparrow Falls From a Tree

Have you ever considered that if the all-powerful God notices when a sparrow falls from a tree, He must know when a child becomes an orphan? Why, then, are there so many orphans? And why don't we see each of them being cared for?

 
Honestly, I'd be lying if I said this thought never perplexes me.

In Matthew 25: 34-35, Jesus tells us about a day when the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink."

Could it be that God is asking us to see His image in those who suffer injustice and suffering? Could it be that God hides Himself in the stigma of the "unlovable"?

The King responds, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one for the least of these, you did for me."

Wow! This passage captures the very heart of God, the heart that longs for us to look into the eyes of the one who is hurting -- the broken -- and see the face of Christ. As we minister to the scarred individual, we are reaching out and touching Christ Himself.

Herein lies the challenge. Will you look into the face of the orphan, the sick, the stranger and the poor? Will  you look past their agonies and stigma? Will you look past all their hardness, deception and grief? Will you resist blaming or lecturing them about solutions to their problems? Will you look with eyes free of judgment, fear and disgust? Will you just gaze into their eyes and seek to absorb just a piece of their suffering into your own body? Will you purpose to see in them the face of the One who took all your inadequacies and nailed them to a tree?

Oh, the debt of love we owe!

Maybe orphan care is less about orphans and more about God crushing our very hearts. maybe it's less a matter of rescuing children from neglect and more a matter of rescuing us from the mire of self-absorption. Maybe it's not about just looking at a broken life, but  more about being broken as we see the face of Jesus.

You may ask, "How do I get the chance to see Jesus in the face of one so needy?" 

I challenge you to investigate the possibility of becoming  involved in one of our mission trips or pledge to give $15 a month to provide nutritious meals every day to one orphan ... every month. Allow God to work through your life and provide nourishment for a confused and hurting child. It is my prayer that God will challenge your heart to answer His call to become involved with Food for Orphans.

Go to our new website, www.foodfororphans.org and make your commitment now.

Naw Lah Lah Pho's Story

Naw Lah Lah Pho arrived at Grace Home from a village called Thayagon near Toungoo Myanmar.

Her father died when she was two years old and her mother suffered from mental illness. The mother abandoned the children and they lived with the grandfather for a short time. A Christian worker in the area knew of the situation and suggested that Lah Lah Pho come to Grace Home.

She was immediately taken in by the other children and has grown up in this environment. Lah Lah Pho has shown a love for the younger children and upon graduation from 10th grade has been taken on as an associate staff member, in training.

Last time we were in Myanmar for a week of staff training she attended every day and has become a wonderful role model for the children at Grace School. She has the heart of an evangelist. At school she told her friends about Jesus' love and is encouraging them to seek the Lord.

Now she thanks God for every situation and especially for the staff and workers at Grace Home that have been her family.

If you want to help orphaned children like Lah Lah Pho, log on to www.foodfororphans.org and make your pledge.