5 Million Minus 1

Guest Blog...

JT had this idea after reading several other blogs. He asked our friend Paul Gibson to compose the first guest blog. Paul introduced me and JT. JT and Paul were roommates in colleges and Paul was my flag football coach...Enjoy



We live in a world that is located somewhere between Eden and the New Heaven and New Earth; a world where parents experience the sadness of miscarriages and children experience the loss of hope.

Recently, some friends of mine had the sad experience of suffering through a miscarriage. They expressed to me that their grief felt different than the grief experienced after the loss of a loved one. Instead of mourning the loss of what was, they were actually grieving the loss of what might have been. My heart was touched by their ability to express the reality that they lost part of their future; no little clothes were going to be purchased, the smell of baby was not going to waft through their house, and the warmth of a child snuggled up to their chest was not going to be felt. I feel for this family.

I was talking to J.T. a few weeks ago during the midst of walking with my friends through their miscarriage. As he openly dreamed about the day he and Natalie would fly over to bring Tedi home, the reality of Tedi’s situation hit me with force; there are millions of children around Tedi, including Tedi, who experience the grief from what might have been. They too suffer the loss of their future; no families celebrating at their wedding, no parents present to rejoice over their high school graduation and no loving presence to say, “I love you, you are mine.” My friends’ grief continues to be great (due to the miscarriage), but imagine multiplying that grief by millions and we begin to understand the emotional plight of being an orphaned child in Ethiopia.

Thankfully, the story of Scripture teaches us that we are headed back towards Eden; the end of the story looks very much like the beginning. God continues to redeem all of creation (back to Eden) through the power of Jesus expressed in his followers. As a follower of Jesus and a partner in the ushering in his redemption, I am called to help the widow, poor, naked, sick and in Tedi’s case, especially the orphan. Therefore, I surmise that helping Tedi overcome his loneliness and hopelessness is bigger than helping J.T. and Natalie adopt (which I deeply support), but it is also about growing one step closer to Eden.

Picture this…J.T. and Natalie, their closest friends, and family are gathered around picnic tables. The smell of burgers and brats and the sounds of Jimmy Buffett are in the air. J.T. is laughing his classic laugh over a story from college while Natalie flashes her classic grin as she playfully picks at a friend. The food is about to come off the grill, so all the parents call their kids to the table. Around the corner walks a short red-haired toddler with dirt all over her face, a very active four-year old boy who loves to crawl up in his mother’s lap to cuddle, a pair of young girls secretly hoping, “I hope we can sit at the big kids table today,” and a little boy with big brown eyes; eyes that appear as if they can penetrate a person’s soul. That little boy with big brown eyes runs up to his Mommy and Daddy and asks, “Mommy, Daddy, can I have two hamburgers today?” J.T. and Natalie respond with a hug, kiss, and the following words, “Of course you can, Tedi.”

When the above picture is lived out, that orphaned boy in Ethiopia will no longer be lonely, hopeless or hungry; he will be home. In a word…Eden.

~Paul Gibson