What is an “Orphan”?

According to unicef there are 153 million orphans on our planet today. They describe an “orphan” as a person under 18 who has lost one (or more) parents.

Is it any wonder that so many people have no idea who they were created to be?

Our children are dependent on guidance to affirm their identity. Instead our children are like fish floundering on the docks because they have no idea who they are and have many parents or caregivers asking them who or what they “feel” like being instead of affirming who they were created to be.

I know this isn’t every situation, I also understand there are situations which a parent or parents do try to affirm in the best possible way. I get that and that really isn’t my point.

I mainly wanted to share that I have so much compassion for our society to understand what struggles are aligned with being an “orphan”. These are “real” struggles and our kids need us y’all. They really do.

Shouldn’t we work together to validate the children where sense of identity begins with? To assure them they are loved, they are wanted, they are uniquely created to fill shoes that God created for them and not what we as parents or caregivers “think or feel” they should?

Now before you take offense, I know for a fact and acknowledge that there are parents who do their best to affirm children’s identity but the influence of the orphan mentality is strong in our society and anyone can be pulled in under its influence. This is a huge struggle for all of us.

I believe this is an orphan mentality epidemic! It is rampant! Unless we address all of the deficiencies associated with the orphan mentality while our kids are young this will continue to be an issue. In many cases the issues are shared by our society in public roles and on social media.

I’ll admit I was part of the parenting experiment (not a real term), but my sons were part of the first generation to be raised with social media and I was not in any way shape or form prepared for what my children were digesting and taking in.

I was (and in many ways still am) ignorant to the influence it had. Again, not the intent of this blog but a valid point.

The orphan mentality was united on social media and obtained a platform and following. It gives a common platform to any who feel “out of place” in any way shape or form and it further masquerades as overall acceptance no matter what you think or feel. It has a voice. Similar to that of “Peter Pan and the lost boys”.

But, it is deceptive and does not give one ounce of satisfaction other than short term satisfaction of being “heard” by someone or anyone.

The only lasting affirmation, the only lasting satisfaction is the revealed understanding that you were exactly who Yahweh created you to be and that is enough. This is worth uniting for and sharing on a platform for. Being who Yahweh created me to be is enough.

Think about it, you do not leave a fish floundering on the dock while you wait for them to answer your question of would you rather be a bird. Why? Because the fish wasn’t created to survive in an oxygen rich environment and will die.