Widows of India

Once again my heart breaks for the widows of India. I wrote about them before after seeing the movie "Water"

Today on cnn.com their plight is making news...

"These Hindu widows, the poorest of the poor, are shunned from society when their husbands die, not for religious reasons, but because of tradition -- and because they're seen as a financial drain on their families."

Such a strange world we live in that there can be such vast differences in how we treat people. Hop in a plane to Asia... and there they practical worship their widowed mothers. But in India sons disown their mothers simply because their father has died.

"Generally all widows are ostracized," she says. "An educated woman may have money and independence, but even that is snatched away when she becomes a widow. We live in a patriarchal society. Men say that culturally as a widow you cannot do anything: You cannot grow your hair, you should not look beautiful."

She adds, "It's the mind-set of society we need to change -- not the women."

This is a society that needs to reached with the gospel... the good news to all but especially the Widows of India.

This is a society that needs to be reached with the gospel - the good news - especially the widows of India. God, keep our hearts soft towards these women. May we be burdened to keep them in prayer. May we never take for granted the place women have in our American culture - in our Christian culture.

Reach down from Heaven Lord and send truth into the streets of India. Truth that strengthens the widow as she waits for truth to change the traditions of the Hindu culture that keep her living without hope or love or respect.