In
between my two main responsibilities last Sunday, I had a three hour block of
time to myself. So, I went home, curled up on the bed, and stuck in a
movie. It was a foreign film from the local library that sounded
interesting. It was about a girl from India who was married and widowed
at eight years old. The story took place around the time of Gandhi’s
release from prison. This little girl had to leave her mother and father
and go live with other widows. I usually do not cry at movies, but at the
end of this one, tears were running down my cheeks at what had happened to this
little girl. It affected me for the rest of the day.
During
college missions’ week one year, a speaker talked about children in crisis all
over the world…child soldiers, child laborers working long days, and children
forced into prostitution. I remember thinking that the Lord must look
down on this and weep.
I
now think about my kids at church, their beautiful, happy, laughing faces and I
wonder why some children get to be children and some don’t. It may be
easy to be overwhelmed by the need or to think that it is someone else’s
responsibility, but what is the “be like Jesus” response? I don’t know if
I can fully answer my own question yet, but I want to do something and I want
it to be the right something. Verses in the book of Psalms that I skipped
over in the past now give me hope in God that He sees and hears and
cares.
the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish. – Psalm 9:18
Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now
arise, says the Lord. I will protect them from those who malign them. – Psalm
12:5
