The truth as I know it:

We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time & miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands. ~~~ Kristi Larson

Monday, October 05, 2009

Now you know...

Okay, so, I wore my 147 Million Orphans baseball shirt last week to a pretty large function. A Christian woman walked up to me and covered the words and said, "Oh, that's so sad, I don't want to look at that!" May be, but now she knows! Now her eyes are open and she cannot say she doesn't know. Now, God will hold her accountable for knowing. That's what 147millionorphans.com is all about... awareness. You really don't have to understand me. You don't have to understand why I am broken into 1,000 pieces, you don't have to get why we love orphans, Brian and I. You don't have to believe in or support adoption. You don't have to do any of those things, but if you know me, most likely you do know that there are hundreds of millions of orphans out there. If you know me, most likely, you know that there is something very simple that you can do for them. If you know me, most likely you have an extra $25/month that you could spare. Most likely, if you know me, you wouldn't even miss $25/month, maybe you'd give up a few lattes, maybe you'd spare yourself a Target shirt or two, but on the whole, it wouldn't affect your life too much. But guess what, $25/month sends a Ugandan child to school (school isn't free in Uganda) AND it pays for their uniform and school supplies, AND it gets them two hot meals EVERY day, AND gives them medical care FOR ONE WHOLE YEAR!!! Think of that! And now you know... you can choose to go about your merry way, saying it's too painful to look, saying that you "just want to be happy and not think about that stuff", enjoying your gourmet coffee and your Target baubles (and don't get me wrong, I love me some Target and I love me some latte!), but if I do that at the expense of a child, then I cannot say, "Look God, I really didn't know." Because He knows that I know now! And He will hold me accountable for what I know!

Watch this, but only if you are willing to be accountable. If you don't want to be responsible, then skip it....


I'm willing to be an outcast. I'm willing to be thought of as weird. I'm willing to forgo popularity if it means that my life stood for something. That doesn't mean I don't long for it. It doesn't mean there aren't days, or time EVERY day when I wish I didn't know. There are many days when I wish I wasn't broken, but whole, and that I could live in my little suburban bubble and not have this crushing weight on my heart that sometimes makes it hard to breathe. But then again, I don't wish it. To the extent that this hedge of thorns keeps me closer to Him and keeps my path straighter than it would be, I am thankful for it.

Proverbs 24:11-12
"Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business," will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know - someone not impressed with weak excuses."

9 comments:

Intentional Living Homestead said...

What a great post...I so enjoy reading your posts because you say it like it is...I sometimes have such a hard time spending when I know that the money I am about to spend could feed so many children...and my conscience doesn't allow me...but I also know the God gives us good gifts...but I never want to have something at the expense of those who don't...

Thank you for sharing.

Connie

Lindsay said...

Great post - love the sentiment behind it and the way you have written it.

Kim said...

Beautifully said!

Lakeshore Cottage Living said...

That video just kills me...inside...deep in my heart. I have watched it before on my friend, Nikki's blog.

Great post Ondrea and so true. People don't want to believe it because they are fearful that God will call them to do something about it...so they choose to ignore it.

No, you can't have my dog...she is the sweetest thing ever. I am sure they have Westies in your neck of the woods. You should go and get one to add to your zoo ;)
You will not regret it..best dog ever.

Kristine

Jody said...

What timing. While mowing the lawn this morning I was thinking that maybe it is time to start in on the adoption process again.... Then I come in and watch this video. My heart breaks for all the children in the world who need families. I know that my husband and I can't bring all of them into our home...but just the few that we can is that many less in the 147 million!!! I don't think you are weird at all..though I don't know you in person..... I suspect that any who know me would say that I have been bitten by the weird bug...orphans are my passion and I believe that we have a responsibilty to care for them.
God's blessings to you...
I love to read your posts.
Jody

Heather & Jason said...

Ondrea, thanks for sharing the video- indeed it is difficult to watch, but my discomfort is nothing compared to that of the children Esther and Sam.

Barb said...

Yes, like you, I know. I just don't know what God wants me to do about it. For now, I just keep praying.

lori said...

Ondrea, so blessed to know you as my friend. Love this post and your passion.

Gina said...

I've only recently seen this video on a blog I follow and it is very moving.
A good post you have done!
Keep up the good work.
Regina