Children of the barren woman

I went to a baby shower yesterday. Though I celebrated with excitement for the mother-to-be, my heart ached so badly for children of my own when I left.
Isaiah chapter 54 has been "mine" for years and today the Lord brought it to mind. It was like He said, "You feel the ache of barrenness and you know the sense of refusal from men, but open your heart and home up because I myself am your Husband who chose you when you were forsaken, and My children are your children -- and they are many. They are the fatherless. In a few days we will go to a couple hundred of them. They aren't the children of your body but they are the children of your heart. You are already a mother of many. You cannot fathom the plans I have for you and I." My heart for the orphan has been sincere and passionate over the years, but never have I wished I could go to them more frequently or get them in my arms more quickly than yesterday (and all the days to follow).
Last night my Pastor thanked me for my heart for the Lord's children. My first thought, before the Lord had even spoken to me through Isaiah 54, was, "How could I do anything but care for them? The Lord's children are my children because I am part of His Body." That is true of all of us.
To the barren, ones who have miscarried, the infertile, the single, the widow, the orphan... While others are given the gift of "each other" in marriage or birth or family, we have had those gifts taken or withheld. OUR HOPE IS IN THE LORD. In Him we have a Father, in Him we have a caring and protective older Brother, in Him we have a Husband, in Him we have a family (the Church) and in Him we have children: the fatherless.
Even though I cannot adopt, I can go and I can show them the love of their Father through my motherly heart. There are so many children, with beautiful names and unique faces, with painful backgrounds and seemingly hopeless futures, who need to know LOVE. They need someone to hold their hands, cry with them, encourage them, look them in the eye and listen to them. And imagine, if I was married and had children I would be much less free to go and love them. Though the barrenness aches, I will praise the Lord for it! His ways are higher than mine and His desire is for my good. Oh, praise Him!

Compelled by Love

I am burdened with the Lord's heart and feel compelled to share it with you. 

November 4th is observed world-wide as Orphan Sunday. It is a day for churches to celebrate and proclaim the Lord's heart for the fatherless and it is a day to act on that truth as He leads. Orphan Sunday started in a small church in Zambia, Africa. I just watched the video below and it blessed my heart. Perhaps you do not have 30min now to devote to watching it but please bookmark this post and watch it later. Allow the Lord's love to touch your heart through these testimonies.

 

Zambia's Gift to the World from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Orphan Sunday // Awareness and Empowerment

Orphan Sunday -- A day to remember that the lives of orphans and vulnerable children are valuable, a reminder to care and to tell them that they are loved (or support families that have committed the rest of their lives to raising adopted and foster children so that they will grow up knowing what it is to be loved).

Orphan Sunday 2012 from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Here is a PDF booklet of next steps you can take after Orphan Sunday is done for the year.

Be Aware: Orphan Sunday

True Religion from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.