The following quote was not made to get a chuckle based on obvious things we all know about children but based on the psychiatric examination of convicted murderers who experienced abuse in childhood.
Children need love, especially when they don’t deserve it.”
Harold S. Hubert
Hulbert, a leading psychiatric expert witness of his time and a child psychiatrist, knew the potential magnitude of the effects of being a child unloved. He testified in the murder trials of men affected by such abuse.
So, what does this mean to us? One doesn’t have to go far to find children who need love. The foster care system in America is overflowing with abandoned children who need love.
Over 390,000 children are in foster care. 25% of these children will attempt suicide.
For the 23,000 young adults who age out of foster care each year,
- 80% of males will become incarcerated.
- 40% will be homeless within 18 months.
- 97% will immediately enter into chronic poverty.
Poverty creates hungry children that need love. Drug abuse produces neglected children who need love.
According to the National Institute of Children’s Health Quality, Over 20,000 babies are born each year dependent on illegal or prescription drugs and suffer neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a type of opiate withdrawal. That’s the equivalent of one baby born every 25 minutes with drug addiction.
To find opportunities to cuddle drug-addicted babies, google “Cuddle drug-addicted babies”.
Children who need love are in our towns and in our schools. These children may not be in your neighborhood, but they aren’t far away.
Jesus said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:10 NIV
Is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart? What is God asking you to do? More than likely, it is something small. Help in your Vacation Bible School? Teach in your Mission Church? Volunteer in a local school as a mentor, or in a hospital for drug babies? Volunteer for CASA? Give a small amount of money to a worthy cause?
Whatever you do, don’t close your eyes to the desperate need all around us.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress …” James 1:27a
There are many ways you can give God’s love to children. All you have to do is ask Him to show you. And remember this:
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
All Scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
Photo by Emma Tin on Unsplash
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