254. Oranges and Sunshine: Promises from the Untrustworthy. Oct 1, 2020

Key Scripture. Matthew 19:2-3

Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Relevance

After watching for the fourth time the tragic but true story, Oranges and Sunshine, I couldn't help but meditate on the power and necessity of real love, as well as the inner need for identity that most of us take for granted.  

For those unfamiliar with the movie, it is based on the 1994 book "Empty Cradles," written by Margaret Humphreys. A British social worker, Mrs Humphreys, uncovered the obscene scandal of the forced removal of poor children as young as four years old from their homes and sending them to Canada and Australia.

As part of the coercion, the British children were promised a lifestyle in Australia full of "oranges and sunshine." However, in stark contrast, what most of them encountered was physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

As David Hill, author of Forgotten Children, stated, "Every childhood lasts a lifetime. You maim a child, and you'll end up with a maimed adult."

The entire movement was tragic, but more obscenely, one of the motives was financially driven. At the time, it cost 90% less to keep a child in Australia than in England.

Many of those children grew up thinking their parents were dead or didn't want them. The parents, on the other hand, were told their children had been adopted out to other families who could care better for them. Quite the opposite happened; they were sent to institutions.

The idea came about when the authorities discovered a huge and growing problem—that some poorer parents could not properly care for their own children. There were several reasons for that, but was deportation the answer? It resembled the law that dispatched people to Australia for stealing a loaf of bread.

What provokes authorities to think they can make laws like that? What makes them assume they are able to slice a heart in two and send one half to the other side of the world while still expecting both halves to function? 

Jesus said to the lawyers in his day, "Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdens that are too hard to carry, yet you yourselves aren't affected by any of them." (my wording).

The only people who could design and implement such heinous laws are those whose own children remained unaffected by them. 

The movie highlights the abuse of these children and their desperate desire to belong — even if merely to reconnect to their birth certificate and true identity. The authority's attempt to provide those children with a new identity was an abysmal failure. 

As I reflected on the childhood trauma, the subject of trust entered my head. Trust is such a small word with so much meaning, and not to be lightly handled. I thought about how wonderful our Father is in heaven—a Father whose love is protective. Our identity is sure in him. We trust him. His word means something, and He stands by it. 

When He designed laws, He made certain that His own Son had to live by them as well as others. 

Psalm 19:7 says, The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:

The only thing those abusive laws accomplished was to develop a broken generation. They converted loving children into despondent, depressed and angry adults.

One concerning feature was that well-known churches and charities were involved in the development and execution of this child-destroying legislation that came from the pit of hell.  

When we compare that attitude to the principles of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who said, "Suffer little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven, " we see a mentor who seeks a child's best interest. God adopts us, and we become family with Jesus, who loved us to His death. To create loving and complete adults, mould-making begins in childhood. Jesus understood that.

Despite tragedies, the Holy Spirit can heal us from the abuses of life. Furthermore, we are provided with a family who loves us. We become enabled to walk with Him in peace and safety. 

The memories of the past rarely go away, but their pains can be washed away by the newness of life. They are healed by the cherishing of a truly loving Father. 

By allowing the Holy Spirit to fill every part of our hearts, a cleansing occurs, and a restoration begins, not stopping until we get complete healing through the shed blood and restorative nature of Jesus Christ. He can remove all hurt.  

Today's prayer:

Dear Lord, it makes me so sad to hear of those children who, through no fault of their own, were robbed of parents, identity and, most of all, love. You are my heavenly Father, so I thank you for the love that fills my heart. And thank you that I am a part of your loving family through the death and resurrection of Jesus.