Orphans

Who here among us has not been broken
Who here among us is without guilt or pain
So oft’ abandoned by our transgressions
If such a thing as grace exists
Then grace was made for lives like this

There are no strangers
There are no outcasts
There are no orphans of God
So many fallen, but hallelujah
There are no orphans of God

Come ye unwanted and find affection
Come all ye weary, come and lay down your head
Come ye unworthy, you are my brother
If such a thing as grace exists
Then grace was made for lives like this

O blessed Father, look down upon us
We are Your children, we need Your love
We run before Your throne of mercy
And seek Your face to rise above

I remember when I first listened to this song. A good friend of mine put a bunch of music on my iPod and as I was going through I came across Orphans of God by Avalon. At that point in my life, I felt useless and unloved-- majorly. This song put my soul to ease. It gave me hope. I am no orphan. I am no outcast. I am no stranger to my Father. Thankfully I have people in my life who helped me realize all of that. In the mean time, I played this song quite often and sang at the top of my lungs. The words are medicinal and reassuring. 

It does not matter where you are in your life, everyone to some degree feels like they are unworthy or alone. Like the first line says: who among us has not been broken, who has not had guilt or pain? None of us is perfect. We have all screwed up and failed miserably-- this is the beauty of the cross. No matter how much you or I mess up and soil our lives or the lives of those around us if we repent and turn to Jesus, His blood washes us white as snow. I'm not talking about the yellow snow that got peed on by a dog, I am talking about the perfect, pure snow that just fell from the clouds (I know snow does not literally fall from the clouds but you get the picture) and has yet to be touched by humans who will destroy its beauty. 

As I read the title of this song and listen to the lyrics I contemplate the word "orphan". I think we can all agree that a child who is an orphan is not one by their own choice. They are in that position because their parents didn't want them, weren't able to take care of them, or are no longer living. I picture orphanages as sad, lonely and cold places. I pray that is not entirely the true picture of an orphanage, but that is what I see. On the other hand, a child who has rebelled against his/her parents and is alone in the streets with no where to call home is NOT an orphan. They have a home and a family that love them. Most likely, a child in that kind of situation is one who is not willing to listen to the wisdom that his/her family members have for them. In the same way, a child or an adult who has strayed from God and has chosen to step out into their own plan for their life is NOT an orphan, rather a rebellious person who is not in line with God's will for their life. They are most likely in that place because of some type of hurt in their life, whether it be with God or with the Church or religion in general. As the song repeats over and over, there are no orphans of God! We are never alone. So.. If you feel like you are alone right now and no one cares about you it is a lie. God cares about you and you are never outcast or alone in His presence. It is at this point that you should evaluate whether you are living in His will and seeking His plan for your life or not. My guess (which is not perfect or necessarily correct because I am human) is that you have stepped away from His hands and therefore feel alone. Don't worry, though! He is gracious and mighty to save and He will pick up all of us who are fallen and bring us back into His presence. He does not do this because of something that we have done. Instead He loves us unconditionally through the blood of Jesus He is able to see us through rose colored glasses. 

One day I was reading Facebook and saw that a friend was distressed. I felt a pull to contact her and make sure she was alright. When I did, she laid her heart out for me. She was having a hard time: in college, without her family, working a job and trying to maintain grades. Naturally, she felt alone. As we worked through her situation she explained that she felt like she couldn’t talk to God... My heart dropped. I tried to understand why she felt this way. She explained that she felt like she had messed up too much for him to still love her. She was scared to talk to him (pray). After a long conversation and lots of tears on both sides of the line, she found relief and accepted the truth. The song says that if grace exists it is made for our worst times, not for when we are good and holy. My friend felt unwanted, she was weary and weak, and she needed the Father to look upon her and show her His perfect and unfailing love. She is doing much better now, because she knows that she is not an orphan. That she is not an outcast. And that she is loved. 

God has a plan for each and every one of us! Anything that says we are not good enough, not loved, or not worthy is a lie from the pit of hell and nothing more! When you fell alone, Tell Satan to get under your feet where he belongs. We are not orphans. We are children of the most high God.