A Father to the Fatherless

Though the holiday certainly has me missing my Dad more than usual, I still got a chance to celebrate today. It was a different kind of celebrating than I have done in the past, and directed towards a different Father. Today, I got to be a part of God's being 'a Father to the fatherless' in the life of a boy...

Remember him? He was the first boy we met here in Lusaka, and the first one we found to be in desperate need of a specialized chair to fit his teeny body. We hired a carpenter who lives down the street from us, and he built us a beautiful chair- just right for a little guy with CP. Today, we picked it up and took it to this little guy's house.

When we arrived, the boy's mother (who loves him dearly) was literally speechless at the sight of a chair just for him. Can you imagine living 8 years and having no one really care for your child? I bet it was hard to believe us when we promised her this chair; maybe even harder to believe that we actually came through and were able to give her the chair for absolutely free (thanks to a grant received by Special Hope for the specific purpose of providing specialized seating devices for those in need).




This little guy's mother was so thankful. His father, however, was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he took the day- the whole weekend, actually, to celebrate his being a 'father' at the neighborhood bar. When this sweet mom explained to us about his whereabouts, the look on her face did not seem to share in his celebration.

So won't you celebrate with me today- that God is who He says he is- a Father to the fatherless. Always has been, always will be. Thank goodness He is, especially for the sake of this particular boy and his mom.

"A father to the fatherless, and a protector of the widow is God in His holy habitation."
Psalm 68:5