So I just remembered I had this blog and I just realized I have almost gone one year without posting anything! Tonight I have children on my mind, not my children but other peoples children!
For the past 3 weeks it seems as if my life has been invaded by kids with bum parents! I've encountered several kids who have dads that have completely abandoned them, kids whose moms are addicted to drugs, kids who don't know where they are going to be living tomorrow, kids who were hit by their moms just last night, kids who are afraid to go home because of what might happen. Kids who are hurting and afraid, and honestly I'm really sick of it!
As a pastor and more importantly as a follower of Jesus I wonder what the local church is doing to address this issue. Do we just sit by the side and hope that the government will take care of them? Do we ignore it and just pray the things get better? Or do we roll up our sleeves knowing that we're going to get dirty and dive into a world of confusion, fear, red tape, pain and uncertainty? What if men steeped up and said, "it is entirely unacceptable for a kid in my church/community to grow up without a father figure in his life." What if we decided that it was critical for the future of our boys that men steeped up and began to father children that no one is fathering.
I really like the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child." That phrase indicates that all of us play a role in the raising and supporting of the children around us. A close friend of mine who lived in South Africa for 27 years shared with me the mindset of the South African children. He told me when he arrived in Africa he was constantly frustrated when he would ask a child who his/her mother was, because the child would point to the woman closes to him/her. The child's understanding was that every woman around her was a mother figure. If you want to know who the child's birth mother is you have to ask, "Who's womb did you come from?"
I guess I'm just tired of seeing kids who get tossed aside with no one to love them. I get tired of seeing kids who are so bright and intelligent loosing out on a promising future because no one will take an interest in them and encourage them. I guess I'm tired of seeing kids who are hopeless, kids with bruises, kids who are terrified of what tomorrow may hold.
So what do we do about it? Are we willing to do the hard work? Are we willing to allow a child or a teenager a place in our lives? It really is pretty simple, provide an ear that is willing to listen, a look that shows you care, an afternoon when you really weren't going to do anything anyway! Alone we can't do much but together we can change the world. And I really believe that! I really believe that it is possible for us to change the world.
