...the whole world, in his hands...

Listening to the African Children's Choir singing the words "he's got the whole world, in his hands, in his hands, he's got the whole world, in his hands" brought a surprisingly new take on the simple, children's song. 

It's easy, as a small child in America, to sing about God having the whole world in his hands. Yes, many children do suffer from abuse or hardships and so please don't think I'm being naive or insulting to the harsh realities of some serious issues, but in general, if you're born in the good ol' USofA, adults dote on and protect you. Meals, clothing and shelter appear from no where, and there's generally someone to cuddle when you have a bad dream and check in the closet for monsters. Or for me, the fire place. 

What about when you're told to sing those words and both your parents have died from AIDS? You're not sure where you're going to find food, and when you do, it'll probably be something from the city dump or that you stole. The ripped t-shirt you wear as a dress is one that is so old and grey, you have no idea where it came from or what color it was originally and might just hope holds up a little longer because if not, where else would you get something to wear? Oh, and you're 5-years-old.

I'm not really sure what it's like to grow up in the city dump as an orphan child in an African inner city, but I imagine it's hard to believe that this God of which Christians speak really does have you in His hands? If He really does love and care for me, then why isn't there anyone to take care of me?

Organizations like the children's choir or Compassion International have started to make a believer out of me. I can sometimes get cynical and say that handouts aren't the answer to long-term helping people in poverty. But the innocent children who sing of how before they were born, they were God's choice made me start to tear up: It's not their fault they need help. They never asked to be born. They didn't want to be uneducated or get expensive medical problems because they are so sick from dirty water. They probably don't understand what it would be like to have both parents alive or a place to call home that's not made out of cardboard, dirt or metal scarps. They probably care for their friends better than we care for ours and most certainly understand what it means when they start to pray and ask and see God provide for all of their needs.

So kudos to you, African Children's Choir. Kudos to you for giving these kids a chance. Kudos to you for education and health care and someone who not only tells them that God has the whole world in his hands but also cares for them with actions to back up those words. God really does have the whole world in his hands, and what a joy it must be to watch his children taking care of each other. We should do that more often.