"The early church was known, even among many who despised it, as a people who defended the orphan. Believers went outside the city to find infants abandoned there, taking them in, and often raising them as their own. This witness was one powerful factor in the vibrant life and growth of Christianity in its first 300 years, and at other high points in history as well. It can be that way again." -Love for Orphans Transforms, article by Jedd Medefind
"David said, 'Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?'" Even our hero David sent his servants outside the palace to find Mephibosheth, Jonathan's crippled son who was lame in both his feet, to adopt him. When Mephibosheth arrived, "he paid homage and said, 'What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?'" He felt unworthy before David, but David called him his son and he always ate at David's table.
In the same way, for Love's sake, may we also show our kindness to those orphans like how God showed His to us. If David once adopted a boy and if the early church people were known to adopt those abandoned infants, then why couldn't we be like them? We can help those abandoned people to feel welcomed in different ways:
-welcome those abandoned people (including homeless) into our homes for a dinner.
-support those families undergoing the adoption process.
-adopt a child.
"Caring for orphans makes the Gospel visible. At the heart of the Christian story is the God who pursued us when we were destitute and alone. He adopted us as His children, and invites us to live as His sons and daughters. Perhaps nothing makes this truth more tangible than when Christians follow in their Father's footsteps, opening heart and home in unconditional affection to the child that has no claim upon them but love." -Love for Orphans Transforms, article by Jedd Medefind
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