Almost every day in Rwanda we would walk the same route from our host’s home to the church.
Almost every day, a young girl named Sandrina would wait outside her small house for us to walk by.
Every day, without fail, when she saw us coming down the street, she would get the biggest smile on her face, run full force at the first Muzungu (aka white person) in our group, and wrap their legs in the biggest hug.
After she hugged the first person, she would move on to the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.
No Muzungu would go un-hugged while Sandrina was around.
She loved us.
All of our encounters with her got me thinking…how many opportunities do we miss because we are too afraid to be the one who makes the first move? How many friendships do we pass by because we are passively waiting for other people to pursue us? How many lives could we impact if we, like Sandrina, were unashamed of our love for others and showed it fully at every opportunity?
…
A couple years ago, I heard the Lord ask me what my life would look like if I were to wholeheartedly pursue the people around me. I heard him challenge me to give up my normal passivity and mirror His heart for my community. He told me that His love doesn’t sit back and wait for lost children to come to Him. He said that He is always reaching out to the downtrodden, broken, and outcast. He asked me to do the same.
I heard Him say all these things, but I struggled to obey. I still struggle.
I struggle because while God’s love for His children isn’t contingent upon their response to Him, more often than not, mine is. To be honest, I find it extremely difficult to continually love people who don’t seem to reciprocate. It can be exhausting to pour out love only to have it go unrecognized.
But that’s what was so beautiful about how Sandrina loved us. Her child-like innocence radiated in her ability to unashamedly love.
To this Rwandan toddler, we were a bunch of strangers. She didn’t know the first thing about us, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t concerned with our response to her excitement; she never worried that we would be annoyed with her over-the-top enthusiasm. All she knew was that a group of Muzungus were in town and she was going to hug us every chance she got.
This unabated passion also characterizes the all-consuming love of our Father. Although He so desperately desires that we reciprocate, the amount of love that He pours out on us is in no way lessened when we don’t. He’s the God who leaves the 99 to find the one–even if the ‘one’ is the same person over and over again.
So Sandrina, I am so grateful for the lessons that you taught me. I am grateful that you didn’t hide any ounce of love that you had for me and my teammates. I am grateful that you showed me how to be a pursuer of people’s hearts. Sandrina, I am grateful for you.
I pray that you never lose this part of yourself. I hope that you pursue people’s hearts every day of your life. I pray that you know the Lord is pursuing your heart with an even greater passion than you pursued ours. I pray that I become more like you when I grow up.
Although you may never know, you, Sandrina, have impacted my life. I will never forget you.
"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19
