James 1:27

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” –James 1:27
 
I have never taken this verse literally before. I know that our religion is not complete by simply believing, we must act on that belief; but I have never felt convicted to literally go out and visit orphans and widows in their affliction. This Friday we went to an orphanage for the first time. When I walked in there was a little girl standing on a bench, she looked at me with the sweetest little smile I had ever seen, I reached out my hands to pick her up and she practically jumped into them. She wrapped herself around me so tightly; she clung to me as if she never wanted me to let her go. I started walking around outside just talking to her and singing to her. It was less than ten minutes until she was completely asleep. When I felt her out cold I sat down on a stone wall and just scratched her back and played with her hair as she slept on me. It was in that moment that James 1:27 came to my mind. The Lord calls us to the orphans and widows for a reason. There was something so different about holding that little girl, I knew that she was a child after God’s own heart; she is his child. And if Jesus were at that orphanage, He would have wanted nothing more than for her to crawl into his arms and rest. It brought me such a clear image of the love of God. We are all children of God and He wants nothing more than for us to realize that we are his children and in that realization just simply snuggle up and rest in Him. As Jesus loves us we are called to love others. I have never felt like I was answering that call more than I did in those two hours of holding Lina. Waking her up and de-latching her arms from me was one of the hardest things I’ve done on this trip so far, maybe ever actually. It just broke my heart knowing that that she might not have someone hold her again till I go back. But I know that the Lord has a special place for His children in His heart and He will take care of her because she is precious to Him. Through that experience God has shown me this week that I am precious to Him also. I am one of His children and He cares for me. He has taken care of me this week and I know He will continue to, not only for the remainder of this trip but forever.