Hardened by Heartache

“Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me” (Psalm 27:10, NIV). How bittersweet is the promise that even when the two people in this world who should love you the most and be focused on encouraging and caring for you turn away from you that the Lord waits and greets you with open arms. The sting of parental rejection, with its loathsome self-deprecation, persists until anointed with the healing balm of unconditional love and acceptance. When the abandoned child is received by the Lord, he finally has the answer to the question he has been asking ever since his daddy left— “What is wrong with me?” The Lord answers this haunting question -- “Nothing, my son. I have loved you since the moment I gave you life. I delight in your very existence.” When God receives a child, He provides affirmation and consolation to a heart that has been hardened by heartache.

Seed of Compassion

To you this child is a nameless face, but our Heavenly Father calls her by name. He has counted the very hairs on her head. He has been there to capture the tears she has shed. He has heard her cries of anguish and confusion. But He has also heard her laughter and seen her smile. He has loved her from the beginning. To Him, she is precious. He has a purpose for her life. Where many see only a poor girl left to live in an orphanage in Mexico, God sees a blessing. What do you see?

My prayer is that today you will ask God to plant a seed of compassion within your heart and as this seed is nurtured and grows that your heart becomes broken and tender towards orphaned, abandoned, and fatherless children all around the world.

I encourage you to ask God to teach you that there are no nameless children; there are only children whose names you do not know. Ask Him to teach you to love these children like Jesus loves them. The seed of compassion that blooms for the world to see is a beautiful expression of Christ's love.

A Seed is Planted

Really? This was my initial reaction when one of the board of directors suggested I create a blog for our ministry. I have never really understood blogging and had no plans of becoming a "blogger." Yet, here I am, planting the first seed for our blog. Hopefully this blog will give you a glimpse into the heart of Seeds for the Fatherless which we pray is a reflection of the heart that our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ has for the orphaned, abandoned, and fatherless children around the world. More than two years ago, I was blessed to be able to put down in words what the Lord was doing in my heart, mind, and spirit with respect to these children. The poem is called "Always their Faces."