and or so that...

If you have been involved in the “child welfare space” as a Christian these words from James 1:27 have become engraved in your heart:

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.

These words were motivation for us as we began our foster care journey.  I mean if you’re going to have religion — it might as well be a religion that the Father accepts as pure and faultless right?  Is any other kind good enough?

The two parts of the verse seemed disconnected to me, though.  I mean what does keeping oneself from being polluted by the world have to do with looking after orphans and widows?

And then it hit me.   What if it’s because they are mutually exclusive?

If you and I are busy looking after the needs of orphans and widows — we won’t have time to become polluted by the world.  I would even go so far as to say that the fatherless — the orphan — the brokenness and pain that comes with those situations — are so close to the heart of God that if we are with those folks and walking with them in their brokenness, the world can’t polite us.   

The word fatherless or orphan is in the Bible 45 times and it is so clear how much God wants his people to step into this space.  I won’t quote all of them, but here are a couple of them:

Learn to do good;

Seek justice,

Reprove the ruthless,

Defend the orphan,

Plead for the widow.

(Isaiah 1:17)

‘Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ (Deuteronomy 27:19)  Wow.  Storng words.  

So if it is your goal to keep yourself from being polluted by the world, look after orphans and widows.  It’s hard to allow the world to grab ahold of your heart, when you are holding a baby, or looking into the eyes of a child,  or giving a ride to a teenager knowing that you are diving into their brokenness in order to discover the heart of God.  

I shared this song and video four years ago.  I know the family in the video and this song hits me every time.   Maybe God isn’t asking you to fly across the waves and bring home a baby from a special needs orphan in China — but he may be asking you to invite a single mom and her kids over for dinner even if it means driving to pick them up in a neighborhood you try to avoid.  

Whatever he asks you to do - -I guarantee you that it will be much harder to become polluted by the world if your heart and your eyes are on the fatherless.

https://youtu.be/BBVYBYZXafI