As we walked through the village, we soon were surrounded my dozens of sweet faces. Their dark toned skin made their white teeth seem so bright as they would smile at us. We spent some time working on an elderly couple’s house, slopping what was most likely a combination of dirt and goat poop over the hand-made brick walls. After a while, several of us stepped outside, to see those beautiful faces anxiously waiting for us.
As each little body came up to me, I could just imagine the stories those precious eyes have seen. Those eyes have probably seen enough to age them 40 years. Some you could see were more yellow than others. Their tummies were so perfectly rounded: signs of malnourishment. One boy in particular had copious amounts of snot just dripping from his nose.
Soon I hear every one of them shouting, “Ine!” (Pronounced EE-NAY). One of our boys from the home told me they’re saying “Me! Me!” As they would say this, they would raise their arms upward, their eyes begging me to pick them up. So of course I cannot resist. I cannot say no to the sweet voices that are surrounding me.
My heart was broken and melted all at once. The voices continued to shout “Ine”, as I would say okay, to each one. Even the bigger kids wanted in on the action. They wanted to be held. That’s all they wanted. They didn’t ask for anything from me. They could’ve said, “Give me food” or “Give me money”. But no. They just wanted to be held. Within seconds of picking one up, another would shout. And wouldn’t stop after one time. I held several kids multiple times. And as soon as they were chosen, I saw peace and contentment. I saw a sense of being loved. (Below is a photo by Sarah of some of the children in the village.)
Had I ignored these kids, I imagine there would be some hurt. They may feel like I don’t care about them, had I not held them. Sometimes we do the same thing with God. We say, “Here I am Lord! Notice me!” And the moment we don’t think we can hear his voice, we think he loves us less.
But the truth of the matter is: He loves us so much. And He many times is the one, waiting for us. He waits for us to take His hand. It’s always offered. Sometimes we focus on the “I want this,” or “I need this” from God. And forget to listen. Sometimes I am just as guilty of this. I ask Him for so much, and sometimes I forget that He desires to communicate with me too. And the moments when we are too busy to listen, I imagine the Lord is saying, “Me! Choose me! I am right here in front of you”.
Matthew 19:14 “Let the little children come to me…”
