Over the years the faces of orphanages in the U.S. have changed quite a bit.  Once bastions of congregations – more warehouse than home – they’re now called shelters or cottages and attempt to simulate family life as best as possible.

There are exceptions though.  In fact, the most popular modern day social construct to house the fatherless happen to be our jails.  Studies reveal that up to 75 percent of all inmates grew up without a father in their lives.

Dr Daniel Amneus, Professor of English at Cal State University, in his book The Garbage Generation put it this way:  “Most criminals come from female-headed families. So too, most gang members, addicts, rapists, and educational failures. Most illegitimate births occur to females who themselves grew up in female-headed families”.

Amneus went on to say: “If we are to deal meaningfully with crime, we must reduce the number of female-headed families; we must prevent the divorce courts from expelling half of society’s fathers from their homes; we must terminate a welfare system which displaces millions of men from the principal male role, that of family-provider. What we must do”, Amneus concludes “is make the father the head of the family”.

Can’t you almost just hear God shaking His head and chuckling?  That’s only what He’s been saying since the dawn of time.

Lucy Smith had a tough start in life.  Married and pregnant at 14, Lucy had a son at 15, and divorced by 16.  That began a string of marriages and divorces which totaled 4 each over twenty years.

Lucy’s luck with love was matched only by her misfortune with children.  Her second child, a girl, was born with Down Syndrome and died of mumps short of her second birthday, Lucy’s fifth child was killed in a bus crash, and another boy died in a freak accident while in the Army.

But Lucy was a fighter who God had His eye on.  Shortly after her fourth marriage she accepted the Lord.  As a new creature in Christ her confidence soared.  A talented singer since youth she and her husband Roy began working together.

Over the next 45 years Lucy Smith, who changed her name to Dale Evans, alongside her husband Roy Rogers went on to star in 28 movies, record numerous hit songs, and appear in an endless stream of books, magazines, and concerts.

Their talents led to fame and fortune, but Dale never forgot who she was in Christ Jesus.  She and Roy worked tirelessly on behalf of the fatherless, adopting 5 children and working as an advocate for thousands more.   Quoting Hebrews 13:2:  “Don’t forget to help strangers, for some who done this have entertained angels without even knowing it”;  Dale Evans was an angel to many and a true servant of the Lord

Although he’s just a kid, eight year old Ronay has all the ear-marks of greatness.  With his gap-tooth smile always at the ready he makes friends easily; with a confidence born of experience he makes decisions easily; and with a work ethic that John Calvin would admire he’s already making money easily.

With all these gifts you’d think Ronay would be any father’s dream, but there’s the problem.  Ronay is also fatherless.  And without a dad to keep him in line, street smart and charming are not gifts in urban America.  So Ronay serves his community as a drug dealer who pimps his teenage sisters on the side.

Being incredibly blessed and gifted has never been a guarantee for success.  Just ask the Corinthians of the early church. Full of Paul’s foundational truth, watered by Apollo’s scriptural insight, and tutored by Peter, Corinth should have been a model church.  And it was, if you wanted to know how not to act.

Which is why Paul wrote them that unless they had a father, willing not only to teach them, but to unconditionally love them, to sacrifice all for them, and to literally die for them: they had not a father.

Is God calling you to be that kind of dad for one of His children?

Big families have become rare.  It wasn’t long ago when it was common place to have six, eight, even ten children.  But now, having four kids is a lot, and five is simply looked at as insane.

I think that’s the devil talking.

God is pretty clear that children are extremely important to Him and we should consider them a blessing.

Deuteronomy chapter 28 says if you fully obey the Lord your God by keeping His commands you will be blessed with many children.

Psalm 127 verses 3 and 4 proclaim that Children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from Him.

Jesus Himself tells us in Chapter 18 of Matthew that in heaven children’s angels are always in the presence of God.  And that anyone who welcomes a little child on His behalf is welcoming Him.

Obviously one way to welcome a child or children is to adopt.  Adopting a child locally doesn’t have to cost you a penny.  And certification classes are held regularly.

If you find yourself thinking that you don’t have room in your house, in your life, in your heart for another child: won’t you pray about it?

And if God ends up asking you to adopt or foster a child won’t you please obey?