Do Something

If you are looking for the video I created, see the earlier post.

Let me just start off by saying that this will not be a normal post. It's a little bit of a rant...a little bit of a challenge. Christians...shame on us. Shame on us. Shame on ME. I've asked God to show me how He can use me to help those in need. I consider myself a compassionate person, but I'm convinced that it means nothing to God for us to feel and not act. Let me repeat that, I'm convinced that it means nothing to God for us to feel and not act. Shame on me.

We as Christians have been called to care for those in need. If we are not doing so, why are we here? At the very least we are called to be Christ-like. What if Christ walked by the beggar, felt compassion towards him, then went on his way...did nothing? I hardly believe many of us would be calling ourselves Christians today.

Our church recently held our first adoption fair. It was a huge success and we hope that it connected at least a few children to their forever families. One of the foundations in attendance was Anna's House Foundation. Anna's House is a foundation that works alongside agencies, biological families and medical professionals to provide stable homes for newborn babies.

HERE'S ANNA'S STORY:

Anna was born, weighing just a little over 3 lbs., to a drug addicted mom. Pronounced clinically dead, she was rushed to Children's Hospital here in OKC. She spent the next 6 weeks on a ventilator until DHS released her to a relative who (needless to say) was couch homeless (no home of her own/stayed with friends, moving from house to house) and not equipped to care for a baby like Anna. Anna was taken back to the emergency room having lost most of the weight she had previously gained. Anna was near death and the doctors didn't expect her to survive the night. Her lungs were so damaged by the lack of care received that hope seemed lost.

Anna survived that night, and the next and the hospital became her home...the nurses and doctors her family. She stayed in the hospital for 70 days with no one to visit her but her assigned DHS worker. The foster placement workers, along with her child welfare worker, were left with their hands tied. There were newborns and infants coming into the system daily. They had a priority to place those babies without a “home” into foster homes first as there were FIVE infants and newborns in the Oklahoma County shelter alone; two of those five – just six days old. The doctors in charge of little “Anna’s” care had made a most difficult call. If she did not bond with a “mother” very soon, it was likely that she would die. Clinically, they had done all they could do, she was dying of neglect. Through the grace of God, a family heard about Anna and took her in. They have started the foundation now known as Anna's House Foundation.
http://annashousefoundation.org/


If anyone knows our story, you may know how hard it was for me to hear this (and even type this post). Our Emy, born at 25 weeks gestation and 1 1/2 lbs., stayed in the hospital the same amount of time that Anna did. I pleaded with God for her to come home...I visited her everyday, sometimes multiple times when I could. It BREAKS my heart to hear that there was a baby LIVING in the hospital because there was no home for her. I can't imagine no one longing for that child to be home. When Emy was on the ventilator and I would walk into her hospital room and she would hear my voice, her sats improved (meaning by hearing my voice she relaxed and could breath better). Imagine a baby not hearing a familiar voice, a loving touch, not having a mother (biological or adopted) praying for it every second of every day. Breaks my heart beyond words...

We live in the Bible-belt. For goodness sakes, Oklahoma might as well be the big fat shiny buckle on the Bible-belt. With as many "Christians" as we have in our midst, there is no reason that any child, no matter what age, should spend one unnecessary second in a shelter, hospital or an orphanage. Shame on us. Shame on me.

I've prayed for a challenge and boy does God deliver! Take this challenge with me. Let God challenge us and let's challenge each other. Each of us, changing one child's life, can change the world. We are not all called to adopt or be foster parents, but we are all called to DO SOMETHING.

Imagine what the world would be like if every Christian acted on their feelings of compassion...


Here are some great videos. Take a view minutes to watch....



Children's Hopechest
http://www.hopechest.org/

I found this video on a blog I visited and the next Sunday it was shown in our church service.


Advent Conspiracy
http://www.adventconspiracy.org/



Red Letters Campaign
http://www.redletterscampaign.com/

I'm currently reading this book:

Red Letters: Living a Faith that Bleeds
By Author Tom Davis
Tom's Blog: http://tomdavis.typepad.com/