27 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]
It’s impossible to quantify how many orphans there are in the world at this very moment. While there are no definite numbers (some say it’s at least 150 million), it’s definitely harrowing and heartbreaking. Even more heartbreaking is that there are also tens of millions of homeless children in that shocking category. Which makes these verses even more vital in today’s world than even back in Jesus’ time. However, I’m going to take a divine detour and apply these verses to a different type of “orphan.” I was also going to combine (v26) because it talks about words without actions, or rather religion without response, to the true needs of God’s children (each of us) in the world, but felt it could wait for another day and that this verse and topic were more important for right now.
Orphaned By Shame
Right now I am writing in the hopes of reaching out especially to YOU who feels lost and alone in the suffocating shadows of shame. You feel you’ve not only fallen further than Father can reach, but worse—further than He’s willing to. Adding to the weight of your worry and sorrow, you feel like even if He did reach out, it’s been so long that you’ve been gone that you fear you don’t have the strength to reach back and take His hand so He can pull you up and free. Fear not, for that is not how His love works. If you can’t outstretch your hand, outstretch your heart. He will carry you!
His rescuing and redeeming love is not dependant on your strength to hold on, but on your willingness to to let go and to trust that that His love is strong enough to hold onto you tight and pull you up and out of your despair. He won’t let you go.
Never Abandoned By Abba!
Do you realize that your Heavenly Father knew every detail of every detour you would ever make in this life? Do you know that He saw every temptation, terror and tears you would face, endure and even be overcome by? And, He still sent you to Earth. He still sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer, die and live again for YOU and so He could rescue YOU! That’s not a cause for condemnation, but for celebration! You are not forgotten, forsaken, or abandoned! There is still hope and healing in your Savior’s hands and heart, no matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been, or how long and how far you’ve fallen!
Don’t let sin and the devil adopt you. You always have been and still are a beautiful, beloved child of God! He has not abandoned you and He will fight to get you back and keep you safe!
Adopted By Abba?
When you make a mistake, take a wrong turn, or allow temptation and sin to turn your world upside down, you may feel like a spiritual orphan, or spiritually homeless and helpless. You may feel like you are more worthy of the gutters and shadows than Father’s pews and altars. Don’t be deceived by the devil’s lies. And you don’t need to worry about trying to qualify to be adopted by Abba, because you already are and still and always will be His precious, beloved child!
Part of God’s perfect, compassionate plan for your life not only includes knowing about all your imperfections and failures, but providing a way for your redemption and salvation from them! Trust Him, follow Him and He will help you find your way home.
Fostering Faith and Love
Finally, as we each go out into the world, may we be more aware of Father’s children in need. While it’s easy to see people on the corners with cardboard signs, or hear about the homeless crisis, or see starving children on TV, it’s more difficult to see those who feel they are forever abandoned and forgotten by God and the world. Thus, part of letting our light so shine is to remind them that they are not forgotten! That they are not unloved, or unloveable!
As we love one another, we will turn back the tides of darkness in this world, forever.
To the one these words have reached through your darkness and despair today, or tonight, know they are not just my words. They are the words of your Heavenly Father to give you hope and courage to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep trusting and believing that He has never and is never leaving your side. You have not fallen too far, or been detoured for too long for His arms of love and tender mercies to reach you, hold you and heal you. Let His light and love guard you and guide you back home.