What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word “abandoned”?  If you are like me, you think of a little baby left at the fire station.  That is almost exactly what happened to my buddy, Mandie. 

Mandie, was abandoned by her mom in the Philippines shortly after she was born.  After spending 4 years in orphanages, she was adopted by a missionary family who have given her a loving home to grow up in and be nurtured.There are other forms of abandonment.  Mandie being abandoned was physical abandonment but there is also emotional abandonment. 

I just heard about a young student who was feeling suicidal. His dad’s only comment was, “Go ahead and do it.  No one will care.”  He has been shipped off to live with another family member, who, we can only hope, will treat him with more love and care.Another type of abandonment is financial. 

In the American economy today, there are many people who have lost the security of good jobs.  People I know are feeling that type of abandonment.  There is a fear of how they will meet the needs of their families.  Sometimes there is a loss of identity and a place of belonging.There is also spiritual abandonment. 

Even though people I’ve spoken with want to blame God for abandoning them, it’s the other way around.  God is still standing beside them waiting for them to turn around and call out his name.Whether the abandonment is physical, emotional, spiritual, or financial there is fear and pain.  There is also hope!

As always, it’s found in scriptures.  Hebrews 13:5 For God said, “I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you.”  So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear.  What can mere people do to me?”

It’s so simple but we make it so difficult to deal with the fear of abandonment because we don’t look to the source of true help.  People fail, but God never does.  He is our unfailing helper and there isn’t anything to fear.  What can people do to us that God isn’t there to help us through?  We can say with confidence, “Nothing at all!”