James 1:27

James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

This verse used to be my favorite verse in high school (and still is one of my favorite) because of how romantic and noble it seemed. I liked it so much I painted that verse on my wall in my bedroom. In my mind it was a no brainer great christians went to third world countries and worked in orphanages because those orphans needed the good christians. Well i think I was wrong. You see I did exactly that, I went to orphans in a third world country but I realized I personally had nothing great or life changing to offer those children. Strange thing was these children ,impoverished by the world's standard, gave me so much. They gave me something to be passionate about. Being there with them helped me view God different. Being with them in their home helped me when I went back to my home to better accomplish the second part that verse. Keeping oneself unstained from the world is easier when I have the face of those boys etched in my brain. It was so much easier (most of the time) to avoid consumerism knowing that my money could be better used somewhere besides The Gap. My complaining significantly decreased, my compassion and awareness/ sensitivity to suffering increased. There is only one thing that those orphans in that third world country took from me and that is pieces of my heart. (I know that sounds cheesy)