I looked into her eyes and couldn’t help but see a stare of nothingness. I picked her up and hugged her and she gave no reaction. I put her back down and she just stood there. Nothing.
This was the first time I had ever met an emotionless child. This little girl is maybe 2 years old and shecomes to one of AIM’s care points every day. I noticed her walking around barefoot with a distended belly and an expressionless face. At such a young age, this little girl has obviously been greatly impacted by life. The poverty and medical issues that affect most of Swaziland had clearly already affected this little girl.
It blew my mind how no matter what I did with this child, her expression never changed. I would tickle her and…nothing. I would cuddle her and… nothing. I would spin her and… nothing. I would try to engage her in a game but again… nothing. Just the look of helplessness.
The right thing to do in this situation is to be angry, right? Angry that this culture is so twisted. Angry that the innocence that God created children to have has been taken from this child. Angry that God hasn’t stepped in to intervene in this little girl’s life and protect her from the evils of Swaziland. These are all things I should be feeling right now.
And I did feel those things for a moment. But then with her in my arms, I looked around. I looked around and saw a lot of other children running around, laughing and having fun. I looked around and saw a building that has been built to house a preschool and serve as the care point. I looked around and saw children eating and drinking clean water.
And then I realized that no matter how bad her life is at home she is getting a glimpse of God every time she comes to this care point. At such an early age she is growing up at the care point. She has community and one day maybe she will be able to laugh with these kids. She gets fed and one day maybe her belly won’t be distended. She has fresh water and maybe one day she will know the living water that God brings to refresh her soul and give her life again.
I looked around and saw God all around her.
