Damaged

My mom and I made a quick trip to Garden Ridge today to do a little shopping.  I needed a new front entry rug and runner.  As we were milling around the store a nice lady asked for our assistance regarding some lampshades for some lamps she wanted to purchase for her family room.  Certainly, word must have gotten out of my curtain making skills and creative project abilities. Surely, she mistakenly thought I was an expert! So, of course, I instantly jumped at the chance to help her out.  Little did she know she helped me out, in a big way!  She mentioned the lamps were broken and in need of minor repair and that THEY WERE ONLY .25 CENTS EACH!!!!! Whoa, we had hit the motherload! All these years shopping at Garden Ridge and I never heard about the damaged rows!  I found my little jewels under a pile of broken and dented pieces.  Likewise, I purchased two more items for $3.25 and $6.25. 

That story is enough for me to end my day a happy shopper, but God is never done with me that easy!! So, tonight after I cleaned them up a bit and fix some of the scratches and dents, I posted a picture of my prized finds on Facebook to share the good news.  It wasn't until others who were delighted to know how I did it, that it hit me.  I simply wrote the word, damaged.  And, there it is!  They were disregarded because they were damaged.  They were counted worthless because they were damaged.  In like fashion, I think that is probably how the world views the 160 million global orphans.  I think for many different reasons we write them off as worthless.  For myself, it was out of pure ignorance.  Moreover, it was putting on my blinders and burying myself in my issues and my world and my life! In particular, it was easy to skip over the continuous theme of God's command to care for the orphans.  Contrarily, I think others are fully aware but retreat in fear.  Specifically, many see orphans, or like in our country, those in foster care, as too damaged.  Consequently, they are left hungry, naked, helpless, hopeless and without ever knowing a mother's love. 

Thankfully, God has opened my eyes and broken my heart.  I fear doing nothing instead of fearing what too damaged means for changes in my life.  With this in mind, I will proudly display my "damaged" artwork in the entryway so it will be the first thing that greets all who enter our home.  In short, damaged is a scary word, it requires work and a little creativity, but words like poverty, hopeless and unloved are far worse!