Have you ever looked at a dire situation and felt the need to burst into tears? Maybe it’s a loved one passing away. Maybe there is severe brokenness in your family. Maybe you or someone you know is stuck in the valley of pain, depression, addiction or abuse. Sometimes a good cry reveals just how broken this world truly is.
This is how I felt holding a tiny 4 month old baby the size of a newborn; her eyes filled with curious wonder. As I pace back and forth with her in my arms, I look at the wall in front of me. 113 pictures of beautiful children with details on each one of them: a new name, the meaning behind their name, a verse to pray over their life and what they were rescued from. I read each one, and this is where my heart starts to break.
Rescued from abandonment.
Rescued from physical abuse.
Rescued from alcohol abuse.
Rescued from poverty.
Rescued from neglect.
Rescued from abortion.
Rescued from starvation.
Each time I read what follows the words “Rescued from” my heart breaks a little bit more and a little bit more. I look down at the sweet baby princess I am holding and feel a sense of anger. My mind is beyond baffled at how someone could physically leave their baby in a pile of trash and walk away. How could anyone drop their kid on a doorstep making their own flesh and blood someone else’s problem? How could a father try to kill his wife and children? This is just the tip of the iceberg- I have heard many other horrific stories. Maybe I am naïve, but I simply cannot wrap my brain around it. It makes me wonder what on earth the parent(s) went through and what their thought process is that gets them to think these things are the answer.
I love spending time at the children’s home. There are 28 children currently, all of whom show emotion differently. It is crazy to see the emotional trauma that an infant can display. An INFANT. They have absolutely no control over their circumstances, no control over whether they are born into a safe and loving environment. They did not choose this. They did not choose to become discarded like a piece of trash.
I could have just as easily been born into a family that abandoned me on the roadside, but I wasn’t. In the Eastern Cape of South Africa alone, over 32,000 babies are abandoned every year. How often do we glaze over the fact we were born into nurturing, caring families? Growing up as a child I was fed every day, clothed, bathed, taught, loved on, protected, comforted and the list goes on. The Lord says to us to have faith like a child; to have a childlike heart. The core of a child’s heart is rooted in purity, a transparent and unblemished soul that reflects the heart of God. These orphaned children have been stripped of a certain purity. How can a child be free to act like a child if their identity has not been poured into?
This is why I love hanging out with these children: to pour into them. One can say short term visits to orphanages are not fruitful; that you form attachments to leave shortly after. While yes, this is true, I see so much heavenly value in loving on a child. Children need to know they are wanted, worthy of protection, important enough to play with, loved to the point of laughter. Children need a safe place to explore and have the freedom to be themselves. This reminds me of the Father’s heart for His children. He creates a safe place for us to explore and be ourselves-in His presence.
King Jesus has rescued us all. What has He rescued YOU from?
