He hugged me so tight! I had uttered three simple words…Brittany iubeste Uili, but the way his little arms wrapped around me, you would have thought I had given him the world. That moment is frozen in my mind, but not as one of sweet happiness as some might suspect; instead that precious moment where I held a rambunctious, seemingly happy, four-year old is a moment clouded with pain as the questions haunt me…has he heard those words before in his short little life? Has he ever truly felt loved? The intensity of his hug and the way he hungrily held my hand the rest of the afternoon would suggest otherwise. Sure he’s a cute kid with a fun personality that everyone likes to play with and invite into the church building, but behind the smiles and the play karate-chopping (as only a little boy can do), is a child left to entertain himself daily on the busy sidewalk in front of his house.
Nothing.
What a humbling thought! After all, I came here to make a difference in people’s lives. I came to offer hope and love. Didn’t I?
But then I remember that I know the One who can be the difference in their lives and what I really came to offer was the hope and love of Jesus.
So, maybe I can’t make all of their pain and hurt disappear, but I can squeeze them tight, smile, and look them in the eyes to offer three powerful words that resound with truth…Isus te iubeste (Jesus loves you). And it is Jesus, who loves them more than I can even imagine and is the hope that will exchange their pain for joy and their sadness for laughter.
