The Orphan Dilemma
Say you’ve got an orphanage and it’s fairly crowded, but not so much that you couldn’t crowd it a little more. You have just enough money that you can either get one more orphan or make the orphanage less crowded for the existing orphans. What do you do? Say you accept another orphan and a short time later you have to make the same decision. What do you do then? What do you do the time after that?
At first glance, it seems simple to me: include as many orphans as we can. But what determines whether or not “we can”? If I follow my heart and include them all, at some point the orphanage will be as crowded as a phone booth filled with bored high school students.
At what point do we say, “I’m sorry, we cannot accept any more orphans right now”? At what point do we decide that we simply cannot squeeze another one in? Surely a little less food for everyone is better than leaving that little one on the street? Certainly we can fit one more in that corner? Or two on that bed? Of course it’s worth it to sleep on the floor so that one more child can be dry tonight - isn’t it?
Ugh, I feel like Liam Neeson at the end of Schindler’s List. “I could’ve saved one more…”
This is where total trust come in to play. When God told Noah to build the ark, Noah built it to accommodate two of every kind. He didn’t say, God if I make it twice as big I can save twice as many animals. And when leading the animals on board he took two of every kind and seven of all clean kind. He didn’t say, God I can get a couple more in over at that corner. He simply trusted God how big and how many. The point being he walked so close to God He knew exactly what God wanted. All of this is easy to say but when you are faced with those questions - you need to exercise total faith that God is leading you appropriately to the answer He wants and you know what He wants.
When the time comes for you to make that decision, you’ll need to make it the same way we should be tackling all decisions…that would be turning it completely over to God and following his leading. Whatever he ncalls you to do, He will grant you the ability and resources; He will always provide for us. Okay, I realize I am preaching to the choir, cause I know you know the Matthew 6 passage very well (I won’t explicate it again for you). Writing this answer is the easy part…practicing it time and time again is the hard part. We’re human…we doubt, we forget, we have trust issues even though God has never been anything but faithful. So, go, reread, meditate, and wrestle with the promises God has made (I’m sure His word will bring comfort and encouragement).
Lucinda
Woah, Dad, when I was thinking about the dilemma myself, the only answers I came up with involved faith and trust (actually, I think it was Cindy who said to me, “That’s why we have to be praying and talking to God all the time.”). But I didn’t think about the Noah connection - that’s fabulous! All the more so because it makes certain divine revelations make more sense!
I’m glad I found your blog. I’ll introduce myself later — I’m a friend of Ray Grieselhuber.
I’ll be praying for your decisions regarding the orphanage. I’ve been in your exact situation. God will provide, and will give you wisdom.