On Wednesday I met a little girl named Stephanie. She’s six and lives in a 6×6 foot room with her family on top of the trash dump next to the charcoal factory. The moment she saw me she reached up to be held. Once in my arms she hugged me tightly and I wasn’t sure either of us would ever be able to let go again. She was covered in black soot from head to toe. Her hair had been shaved, I’m assuming because of the scabs on her scalp. At first she was shy and simply wanted me to hold her. She didn’t even work very hard at getting in line for the soup we were serving, she was more interested in me holding her. My heart just broke for her.
Why did this little girl have to cut her hair short and look like a little boy? Well why did I cut my hair short for this race? Because it’s just hair and it grows back. Did her short hair or mine make either of us less beautiful? Absolutely not. Her scabs were healed, despite the filthy conditions in which she lived. That is the important part, not long flowing hair.
Once I had helped her get a bowl of soup and helped her to eat it, she once again wanted to be held. By now she had opened up and started to lean back so I could hold her upside down. Why do little kids love this so much? They love it when we make them feel as if they are falling, but at the last minute catch them. Yes, we catch them and hold on tight once again. We would never let them hit the ground, just as our Heavenly Father would never let us drop to the hard ground. Life with Jesus comes with a built in safety net. He loves us enough to send help and provide provision just at the moment we need them. It’s fun to enjoy that freedom in which we live with Christ just as this child enjoyed me throwing her around and hugging her tightly again and again. She grew to trust me and suddenly became a little Chatty Cathy. Of course I didn’t understand her, but was it really necessary?
I learned more in those few hours with that little girl than all 33 years of my life. God has us ALL in the palm of His hand. He sent His son to explain this to us, but living in this world sometimes we become too distracted to understand this concept. We think that our lives must be filled with pleasures and comforts to live a satisfactory life. This is so completely far from the truth and I realized that yesterday.
So often I filled my life with clothes and relationships instead of allowing Jesus to fill me up. I had to have a cute apartment with beautiful decorations, or leave the house in the perfect outfit so I could meet the perfect man all of which would make my life complete. Thinking about it now makes me laugh. How could I seriously believe that these were the things of life that make it amazing? God’s love for us is the ONLY amazement any of us needs in this life. We all find ways to experience amazement: alcohol, shopping, nice cars, elaborate homes, drugs, vanity, sex, and any number of other addictions we pick up along the way. These things will work for a short time, but the joy that God can bring to our lives lasts for eternity. We just have to choose His love.
