“Bullied in an Alley,” a story of a young boy being mocked and threatened with sticks with no one to defend him is heartbreaking, to say the least. While such behavior is not tolerated in our society, many cultures of the world provide no protection against this kind of behavior. In some cases, authorities are even complicit in allowing and encouraging it when it comes to certain undesirables like street children.

Yet God has always had a special place in His heart for those who are weak, defenseless and abused. Identifying those whom God singles out as special objects of His grace, the apostle Paul wrote, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong… the lowly… and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are…” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). God loves to shower His grace on those who are weak, foolish, lowly and despised, for in so doing He reveals the magnitude of His love and power to redeem the most hopeless.

A psalmist once wrote, “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close” (Psalm 27:10). How does He do that? How does He hold close a young boy whose own parents have left him to fend for himself on the street? He does it through you and me. He does it through people like Vicky, who move to the other side of the world to live and love like Jesus through the business that they run. He does it through the prayers and the gifts of people like you. Thank you for your partnership in the gospel with Crossworld.