The Plight of the Orphan

Tom Davis from Children’s Hope Chest is persistent that our problem is that we have ceased the ability to be vulnerable. Let’s unpack this a little bit. We live in a culture that thrives off of numbing the pain. Americans are the most overweight, most desperate, most addicted people. Continually, we apply numbing mechanisms to avoid the brokenness inside, to avoid the vulnerability, the realness. We often walk into the church wearing a mask. Whether that mask covers fear, guilt, shame, it cuts off our ability to experience joy, faith and belonging. Without realness, without vulnerability, we will never experience true life…or belonging. And Davis suggests that until we experience these things for real, we are incapable of helping the plight of the orphan.


Davis continues to talk about the ability we must have to GO THERE. What does this mean? Well, when we put on a mask in exchange for heart wrenching vulnerability, we limit the ability that can possibly possess to go with that child to THAT PLACE. Without vulnerability, we cannot understand compassion. Compassion means “to suffer with.” We cannot posses such an ability apart from vulnerability. And we, as believers, have a calling to GO THERE. To come alongside that child and meet them in that place of darkness. To venture into the gut-wrenching pain with them. To wrestle through it next to them. To express that righteous anger as they do. To grieve with them. To point them to forgiveness, as Christ forgave us. When we mourn with those who mourn, we are brought to LIFE. Jesus was deeply moved with compassion…He was deeply moved TO SUFFER WITH in Mark 1.

It takes this kind of vulnerability to pursue a lifestyle of welcoming the orphan, the poor, the broken, the needy, the wounded into our homes, Davis explained. John 10:10 talks about the war between satan and Jesus…we already know who won! Praise God. And yet, that is US. WE are the REDEEMED. We are the unworthy ones who received the gift of everlasting LIFE, that we may live abundantly! WE are the hope to guide these children into LIFE with JESUS, as He has so graciously lavished such love upon us, sinners.

Our response to the plight of the orphan is not a decision we must make, simply a response to a need, to a calling. Not one believer is exempt from this calling. When there is a need, we are called to fill it. Now, that may look different for every person and God will use each of us in differing, yet fully encompassing ways. There are 150 million needs…the response is simply the calling.