I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU TOOK ME IN

frieda (60)in #lighttheworld • 7 years ago (edited)

"I was a stranger and you invited me in." Mathew 25:35

We receive no reward for doing good for the wrong reasons. God does not reward an act done for selfish reasons. The audience before whom we perform the act provides our reward and God will finally reward those who meet the needs of others without thought of personal gain. Discipleship is serving Christ by serving others.

The Hypocrites made sure everyone knew they were giving to help the poor, but Jesus condemned their motives, not their gifts. Giving is a personal act of worship, not a public demonstration for personal gain.

There will be a clear distinction drawn between those who did not serve God and those who did serve Him when Jesus returns. The way we served will determine whether we are Christ's disciples or not. If you serve with proper motives you are serving the Lord by serving people in need. They will be rewarded with the inheritance of the kingdom God has prepared since the beginning of time.

Jesus draws our attention to the least of this world, the widows, orphans, strangers and the poor. Jesus says to see Him we must see the strangers around us.
If we love Him, would we not go to Him? Then let us love Him through these oppressed humans. Eternal life begins here as we live out God's quality of life among those for whom God especially cares.

Mother Theresa

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"But no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler." Job 31:32

Job defended his innocence. He mentioned several sins he might have committed but did not. Job argued that what he was suffering was not deserved. He rejected the tradition which taught us that suffering was always a punishment for sin.

"Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:1-2

Christians should keep on loving brothers and sisters in Christ. Christian love has no limits, it reaches out to everyone in need, strangers, prisoners, brothers, and sufferers.

A total stranger in our hearts and homes

In my introductory post, I wrote about Andries and then again when it was world adoption day. This is such a rewarding story that it seems as if I cannot share it enough. There were so many feelings, emotions, and worries which occupied my mind before we took this innocent 'stranger' into our home.

I still cannot get over the fact that God had chosen us, trusted us, to care for Andries. You feel so small and unworthy of His trust in us as a family. We certainly have our flaws, a lot of it and we cannot be pointed out as the ideal family to be entrusted with such a great responsibility of taking care of an innocent baby. But, God has chosen us.
God is a God of order and not of surprises. He prepares us well in advance to do His will. The only difference is that we are so blindfolded that we do not see what it is that He place before us, we would rather move it aside. We also do not hear His voice when He speaks to us.

There were so many events leading to his adoption:

I was working on the day when his mother came to the maternity ward to make a booking and present us with her file, written in big bold red letters: BABY FOR ADOPTION DO NOT BOND! I would say that this was the very first seed planted deep in my heart. I kept on thinking of this coming adoption. She booked a month in advance and we see so many patients that it is impossible to remember who booked, but the word 'adoption' 'do not bond' stayed with me.
I was on duty when his mother was admitted a week before his birth. This gave me an opportunity to know her better as a person. It gave me some background on where baby Andries was coming from, not that this was important, but today I'm glad that it gave me enough time to spend with her.
I came on duty shortly after his birth and was the first person to bath him. In my subconscious mind, I already made a mental note to take personal care of this child, to bond with him and to give him as much love as possible, to make him feel he belongs. Was that Jesus speaking to me? I am sure it was. I took care of him as if he was my own. I gave him a name, took pictures of him to give to his 'adoptive' parents and I bought clothes, bottles and baby creams, the same I used for my own children, no compromise on quality.
Someone advertised on the internet that he was for adoption, not one single soul came forward or showed interest.
When I spoke of baby Andries to my husband or showed him pictures of the baby, he just told me that it is not a dog or a cat that I can bring home. That was anyway never my plans. One day, my husband fetched something from the hospital and I showed him baby Andries. He just stood there, looking at the sleeping baby for a very long time, but did not say anything.
I was working night duty for seven nights and we planned to go on holiday at the end of night duty. The day before we left my husband phoned and say I must bring baby Andries with us. I phoned the social worker and she said it is too short notice, they will have to visit us and write reports and the magistrate of the children's court is not in town, it will be difficult to do anything that day. She phoned me within an hour to say that when the baby was born the social worker forgot to fill in an article which makes the hospital responsible for the baby and we can, therefore, take him with us.
When we were in Port Elizabeth, my husband called the local newspaper to place an article in the newspaper to see if we can find parents to adopt baby Andries. The article appeared in the newspaper, but all our telephone numbers were printed incorrectly. Nobody phoned.
I took him back to the hospital on the 5th of January 2000 and he crawled back into a fetal position, not smiling or interacting with us, just crying when he was hungry. My son said I must bring him home for a weekend but I said that this child must now find his way in life, where ever it might take him. I cannot upset him like this anymore.
The social worker started to make plans to transfer Andries to Cotlands in Johannesburg, a home for HIV/AIDS children.
We were praying every morning that God must give him a home and not just a place in an institution.
My emotions started running away with me. I was scared that they will take him to Cotlands while I am not at work.
I said to my 11-year-old son, Oliver, that I cannot understand why God cannot give Andries a home. It was not as if we were asking for unnecessary things.

The final straw

My son looked at me and said: "But mom, can't you see that Jesus wants you to be his mother?
We invited a stranger into our homes and families and what a wonderful experience it is. He has one brother and three sisters and two cousins. The bond between all of them is so strong. My children were absolutely wonderful when they invited Andries into their homes and hearts. I have never experienced so much love between total strangers and different nations. This was only possible because God was and still is in control.