To the Motherless and Fatherless

To the Motherless and Fatherless

For many people, days like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be some of the most grief-stricken and pain-filled days. It’s days like these that can be a reminder of the physical absence of a precious loved one or the emotional and relational absence of a parent that is still living. To those who became orphaned due to life circumstances or those who are currently feeling orphaned in this life, I want you to know my heart weeps and grieves for you. My prayer is that as you read this blog, your heart may be encouraged today and for the days to come. You are loved and you matter.

“But now, O Lord you are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our Potter: we are all the work of Your hand.” -Isaiah 64:8

At the end of 2017, my parents and I took a trip to Accra, Ghana and had the wonderful privilege of visiting New Life Nungua Orphanage. There I met many beautiful children who were motherless and fatherless.  I remember walking into the orphanage not sure what to expect. To my surprise, I walked into a room filled with energetic and joy filled children lifting their voices in song. As I gazed into many of their eyes, I could see the pain, but I could also see the resiliency that resided within them.

I took time to speak to many of the children, to hold them, to play with them, and to laugh with them. For some of them, I wasn’t sure when the last time they had someone hold and cradle them in their arms. Nor was I sure when the last time they had someone tell them that they were beautiful or that they were special.

But as I spent time with them, I couldn’t help but to look at them and see that they were beautiful souls created by God. They were more than “just orphans” but they were special beings made by our Heavenly Father. Each one, God knew by name. They mattered to Him. They had purpose through Him and they were never forgotten by Him.

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I God will not forget you!”-Isaiah 49:15

As I began to speak with some of them, I was deeply saddened to hear their stories about how they became orphans. Many of the children were found at a very young ages on the streets by police officers. Some of the children’s parents were tragically killed and they had no other family that could take them in. Some had been in the orphanage since they were babies, others came in their older age.

I’m sure many of their days were plagued with feelings of loneliness, abandonment, and grief. As much as loneliness, abandonment, and grief sought to darken their lives, I still saw the love of God shining through every hollow crevice of their pain. You see in the midst of all their tragedies, God still kept them, provided for them, and loved them. Although their birth parents were absent, God never was. He was always there loving them back to life. They could have hope, because although others may have walked away from them, God never did.

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him.”-Psalm 103:13

If you are grieving from the loss of your mother or your father through death: YOU ARE NOT ABANDONDED, God is with you.

If you are grieving from the lack of emotional and intimate connection with your mother or father that is still physcially alive, YOU ARE NOT ABANDONED, God is with you.

There is no shame in the grief that you are experiencing. Don’t hide it…feel it and release it. Allow God to enfold you in His loving care as you grieve and weep for your physical parents. But remember, that even in the midst of your grief, GOD LOVES YOU. He has the capacity to MOTHER you and  FATHER you ALL AT THE SAME TIME.  He is the ULTIMATE PARENT.

The PRESENCE of our physical parents and the ABSENCE of our physical parents are meant to draw us to GOD. For HE is what our hearts need at its core. We were always His, even before we were formed in our mother’s womb. 

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..”-Jeremiah 1:5

HE nurtures,

HE guides,

HE leads,

HE protects,

and

HE loves.

Dear motherless and fatherless child, God cares about you more than you could ever imagine! He made you and He wants you to know that any loss you experience on this side of life, can never outweigh the LOVE He is willing and ready to fill you with. May His love continue to cradle and enfold you for the rest of your days.

“As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you.” -Isaiah 66:13

With love,

Ashley Moneet

Fearless.Faithful.Following