I Dare You...

I dare you to read this post and not take action...

 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Orphans- Well, the first thing you can do is pretty obvious...you can adopt or foster! Adoption and fostering can happen in many different ways. You can adopt because you cannot have children, you want to add more to your family, you are crazy, (!) and the best reason, because the Lord calls you to do it. You can adopt internationally, locally or decide not to adopt but to foster different children who need a safe and loving family. You can spend $40k or nothing at all. But to look after the orphans doesn't mean you must adopt or foster. There are many other ways to do this. You can come help a family as they raise money to bring their child home, you can come alongside a family and take them meals when life gets crazy, you can help babysit when the parents need a moment to breathe, you can pray with the parents for their children and the biggest of them all: You can understand. You can understand that this new life is just that; new. It's not always easy, it's different, and most people just do not get it. They want you to be the same person/family as you were before. That cannot happen. You are experiencing life and seeing life in a new way. Dare I say, you are catching glimpses of God that you would never see unless you were doing this. But you can also catch these glimpses when you are a part of it. Become a part of this change and see if you are not changed..for the better. Your eyes are open to things you never imagined. All because you decided to follow part of what James 1:27 says. I recently read an article about a family who started an adoption ministry at their church. Get this: They were not adoptive parents. They saw the need to be the hands and feet of Jesus. This ministry has grown in leaps and bounds and now have a paid staff member. Incredible.. A blurb on fostering; This is not an easy road. It's a road filled with heartache because you have no idea how long these children will be in your care. A day or forever. But you love them for the time you are granted.  When CPS decides it's time for this child to be moved, it's heartbreaking. No matter how hard this child is, they are a part of your family. Be sensitive to the parents when this happens. Do not make comments on how much easier their life will be with one less child. They carry these children in their heart forever. Most of the time they will be given no updates whatsoever on the children. Can you imagine having a child in your life for a year then it's gone? Yes, they sign up for this but it still hurts.

And let's not forget about the widows 

Widows-Ah, the widows of this world. Most of us picture a sweet old lady sitting in her chair just doing..nothing. She has no life and is waiting on us to rescue her. Beeeep!! That is wrong! Not all widows are people who cannot get around and not all of them are ladies. Thanks to the wonderful movie "Up," we all had an "AHA!" moment where we realized that men are widows also. Now, some of you are out there saying, "I just do not know any widows." Well, I am here to tell you that they are pretty to easy to find. Talk a walk down your street. I had no idea there were 3 widowed women on my street, along with one man. Offer to mow their yard, walk their dog, or just visit with them. Having someone to talk to is such a treasure. Take some coffee and cookies down to their house and give them the best gift; a listening ear. You may even gain a new friend! She may even want to join you in a zumba class! He may want to train for a 5k with you. I know a lot of spunky golden oldies who are not letting life pass them by! I am pretty sure that you have a nursing home in your area. A majority of the residents there are widows. Maybe you can take flowers on Valentines Day to them. How sad to receive special gifts for years then, bam!, nothing! How about a retirement community?  Go and have dinner with these wonderful people. What a wonderful gift they give us when they tell us their past. They lived through times we have only read about. Well, if they are an older widow. Yes, it's shocking, there are younger widows. I truly believe that this word can now encompass those who are divorced. I may be wrong in saying that. But I do not believe you will be punished for helping the divorcee, so I'm not going to worry about it to much. They, too, are alone now. Some with kids to raise on their own. This is not an easy life to live. Sometimes you are judged because of the divorce. You are judged when you decide to move on. It's not easy. Divorce is an ugly, ugly word and reality. It's not fun for anyone involved. But unfortunately, it's a reality that we have. (I say this with the understanding that you all surely know I am not for divorce. Ever. God can work miracles. But divorce is alive and well in our communities and we can't ignore it. Do not embrace the idea; embrace the person) Come along beside this person as they are experience a new reality. Offer to help the newly divorced mom with her yard work that her husband always did. Offer to help the newly divorced dad fix his daughters hair. And most importantly, do not shun them from the church! (or 'your out of church' clique. Don't act like you do not know what I am talking about) They need the church more than ever at this point! Yes, a sin has been committed but a sin was also committed when you ate one to many M&M's while watching that sinful show on television. So save the judgement and show some love. Just because you love on a person does not mean you accept the sin. I recently read a great statement that said you do not have to compromise your personal convictions to be compassionate. Amen!

So, are you ready to live this verse out? Are you ready to leave your comfort zone and embrace the uncomfortable for the sake of Christ? I surely hope so because your life will never be the same. Thank you Jesus!