Widows and Orphans, Part 1

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” –James 1:27

One of the great things about the book of James is how practical it is. Do we want our faith in Christ to be real? Well, then we need to help out widows and orphans. I suppose the devotional thought could end there. But maybe we should simply spend some time talking about what it looks like to help widows and orphans. So, today we’ll talk about widows, tomorrow we’ll talk about orphans, and then on Thursday we’ll talk about others who could be considered in this list of the most helpless people.

Those who were widowed would have been in significant financial trouble in their culture, as women most often did not work outside of the home or family business. They would not have had hefty retirement accounts or even social security back then. Their families would have been responsible to care for them, but sometimes no family would be around. We could read this verse from a purely financial perspective, but that is only part of the picture. We must look at it holistically. Here are some ways we can help widows in today’s world:

- Go and visit them. This sounds simple, but so many times we forget that many elderly (not that all widows are necessarily elderly, but these tips are written specifically with the elderly in mind, whether they are widows or widowers, or just need a hand) people have very few people to talk with. You don’t even need to have a lot in common with them. Trust me, you’ll find something to talk to you about. Often times they have family that just live a long way away. They miss them dearly. If you see pictures, simply ask about who is in the pictures.

- Help them with household chores. I remember once that my great aunt, who was in her 90’s at the time, stacked two chairs on top of each other in order to change the battery on a clock that was high on the wall (she was barely 5 feet tall). Of course this didn’t work too well and gravity won. She wound up with a broken bone in the deal. I was in college and at home for the summer when this happened. I was only 7 miles away and could have been there in no time. I felt bad that I didn’t check on her and ask her if there were things I could help her with. Many widows have had husbands who have always filled the car with gas and made sure that the yard was mowed. This is a huge loss for them. The more help we offer, the better off they will be.

- Technology and ‘Legalese’. Are you a techie? If you are even moderately up to date with technology you may be able to help more aged folks. I know a lot of people who would just like a little help in setting up a new TV. Many grandmas may want to learn their way around a computer. They would love to be able to email their grandkids and to keep up with things going on in the world via the internet. A few hours with them would make a world of difference. Sometimes they simply need someone to read through paperwork from insurance policies or Social Security. Note: you need to be careful here, as this is both personal information and many elderly people are scammed.

I know that not many times I have not looked forward to visiting certain people simply because I didn’t have the time. However, it seems that whenever I take the time to do this, God blesses me immensely as I get to know these very real people who have often led very interesting lives. May you find a similar blessing as you look to help widows in need.