yoke

 I had plenty of time to think today as I drove round-trip down to Salem to get documents apostilled to be mailed to Eastern Europe. Plenty of time to ponder, and fret, and pray.
First I was pondering , ' exactly how many orphans are there out there? '

 And the number most thrown out for that is apparently 150 MILLION children. That, my friends, is a staggering number.

But you know what is a more staggering number?
The number of Christians in the world is 2.2 BILLION.
 Let that sink in for a minute.
There are nearly 280 Million self-proclaimed Christians in the United states alone.

  What strikes me here is this: WHY DO WE HAVE ANY ORPHANS?!?!?!?

James puts it this way-
1:27
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.


That is PURE religion. That's putting your money where your mouth is.

BUT- but it's hard.

Adoption is expensive.
Adoption is messy.
Adoption is exhausting.
Adoption is intrusive.
Adoption is a lot of work.
Adoption is not easy. 

But I ask you, is anything Christ has called to do easy?

Is forgiving 70 times 7 easy?
Is turning your cheek after someone slaps you easy?
Is giving someone the shirt off your back (after they just stole your jacket) easy?
Is leaving behind your family to take up your cross and follow your Lord easy?

NO , not exactly.

 But wait! what about Matthew 11:29-30?

     …29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

So, here I am, driving and pondering this... and I thought of how this can be. 
Jesus promises his yoke is EASY - but calls us to do so many things that are nowhere near easy.

We stand there, staring up at a cart loaded like a towering mountain- knowing full well it is an impossible thing for us to pull the weight of, even half the weight of. And there stands Jesus, beckoning us to come join him under the yoke he bears.

You see, there is a secret to a yoke for two- If one of your animals is bigger/stronger- they do all the work. This is specifically why the bible warns of being "unevenly yoked" spiritually in marriage. Because if you marry a non-believer the only places you're going are where you can handle the whole load yourself.

But the secret is we will always be unevenly yoked with Jesus. He is always bigger and stronger. he wants us to join him, to co-labor..but not * hear me* , NOT because he is in need of anything we bring to the table. Sorry to tell you this, but God doesn't need your help. He invites you to help because it will bless you. Because that is the place where you get to walk side by side with Jesus. The place where you are blessed to be able to be so near to God that you are literally joined to him. And, guess what? You won't be doing the work! If you are leaning into Jesus- he is carrying that load. He promises this.

It is a blessing, a gift. 

So, I ask you again- WHY do we have any orphans? 

Jesus is calling you, won't you listen?

***side note***

 
I am fully aware there are many Christian who simply cannot adopt. Perhaps it is a very bad time, perhaps legally you cannot. Perhaps bad health, etc. I get that.
 But please, please do not sit and do nothing.
There are other ways you can care for orphans.

*You can give financially to families adopting or directly to orphans. There are programs like Reece's rainbow- where you can donate directly to an orphans adoption fund- 90% your money goes straight to that particular orphan, the rest goes to advocate for all the orphans listed. 
 
* You can volunteer your time. Adopting families need help... Things like babysitting, a meal, help holding a baby, or doing laundry. They need help running raffles and calling businesses to get donations to fund these expensive adoptions. Children's shelters need volunteers. Many foster agencies and charities exist and need volunteers. 

*And finally orphans, and the families adopting them, need your prayers. They need lots of them. They need prayer warriors. People who will get down in the spiritual trenches and do battle on their behalf.