Compassion kids are… Well, it’s hard to put words on them. They are beautiful, full of life, longing for something more, needy, angry with their situations, and above all… desiring love.
I have noticed that these kids are longing to be held, disciplined, heard, adored, kissed, touched, played with, and simply smiled at. They want love. But not just any love; they want true love, the kind that 1 Corinthians 13 talks about.
There are two boys here named Manuel and David. Both are slightly plump and have rounded cheeks. They are both 10 years old and have so much desire in their eyes. While all the other kids are playing and laughing, these two are glues to my waist. When I am standing their faces are buried inside my shirt. When I am sitting, their heads are resting on my shoulders. When they see me from across the room, they look at me, waiting for a smile. Keep a few things in mind: I don’t speak their language, so we don’t converse. Again, they are 10 years old. And when I am around, they don’t play with the others.
The other day, with their arms both around me, they looked at each other and started whispering something. When they finished, they looked up at me and asked, “Do you have a son?”. “No”, I said with a smile. They looked back at each other for a moment, and then together said, “Can we be your sons?”. Without an ounce of hesitation, I replied, “Of course! You are my sons!”. Without words they gave a slight smile and returned their face into the fabric of my shirt, where they stayed until class began.
While writing this, I am crying. The words those boys spoke is heartbreaking, yet beautiful. Why would they BOTH want me to be their mom? Is their mom not loving? Do they live with their mom? Do they even have a mom? And yet I find their question so beautiful because it reminds me of… me.
I also desire to be loved, disciplined, kissed, heard, adored, and called a child. I don’t want to be an orphan. I want someone to take care of me all of my days… And when those precious boys asked if they could be my son, I saw myself asking my Maker the same question. And God responds they way I instinctively did, “Of course. You are my son”.
We serve a great God, or as I prefer to call Him, Daddy. I see in Manuel and David what the Lord want from me. He wants me to cling to Him when I am standing, rest my head on His shoulder when I am sitting, and desperately search for His gaze. He wants me to be childlike.
David and Manuel are me. David and Manuel are you… I can only hope to love the Lord as much as they love me, a perfect stranger.
In His Love,
Catalina
Mark 10:13
Manuel is on the left and David is on the right. Oh, and I’m in the middle.
