Monday, August 8, 2011

Orphan Care Isn't Sexy

I saw this on a blog and stole it for a post....

Again-- the following is from Kristen at wearethatfamily.com.
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"Orphan Care isn't Sexy"

We live in a high gloss world.
We want beauty. We crave attractive things.
We have cute handbags, pretty paper, and desire gorgeous houses. Our society is consumed with superficial loveliness.
Sex appeal is a hot commodity.
The ugly truth in our pretty world: *attractive people earn more
money and are generally viewed as more successful.
And while God created true beauty, it isn’t found in home decor or luxury cars. It’s not really about perfect figures or chiseled
appearances.
True beauty is found in the least of these.
Orphans.
But orphan care doesn’t sell. It’s not attractive or appealing.
There’s nothing desirous about poverty so devastating it chokes the very breath out of you. The stench of living without simple resources
makes you want to run. I’ve touched the heads of sick children, living in the streets of Africa’s slum. I shuddered as death rattled with every breath. I only offered them silent tears that fell to the rot beneath my feet.

Poverty isn’t pretty.
It’s forgotten in our world. We pretend there aren’t thousands and thousands and thousands of children dying everyday,
while we shop for an upgraded life. We ignore the forgotten because it makes us uncomfortable.
We forget the orphan because they make us feel ugly.
Not our carefully manicured facade, but the inner self that is deteriorating with selfishness and apathy.
I met orphans- Susan and Vincent and a host of others in the poorest part of the world. I have touched the faces of orphans in our foster care system. Their beauty shined a light on my ugliness. I will
never be the same. Jesus used their plight to change me.
It’s still difficult to stare down the enormous beast of poverty. I question if we can really make a difference, really change the world? But how can we not at least try?
We are excited to join the voices and wrestle out these challenging questions at The Idea Camp focusing on the global orphan crisis
and the church.
Orphan care (foster care, adoption) aren’t sexy, but they are beautiful.