“Don’t step in that puddle or your foot will rot off within 13 minutes,” we joked as we hopped over piles of trash and streams of tainted water. With the sun beating down on our necks and Nepali dust settling into our lungs, our tiny team wandered through a settlement that could easily be mistaken for a garbage dump. This was the third time we’d visited this slum within a week and we looked forward to greeting the children here again.
Kyle and I ventured a little further today than usual in search of some new friends hiding amongst the heaps of filth. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a small figure standing in the opening of a makeshift home and his eyes immediately locked with mine. I smiled warmly and approached him slowly (sometimes the children are understandably wary of strangers). With a toothy grin and bright eyes he ran up to me as if we were close friends who hadn’t seen each other in months. He lifted his arms for me to pick him up and my nurse brain instantly activated; infection control is everything. My eyes lasered in on the many small scabby lesions all over his hands and arms. His scalp looked like he had suffered a wound that became a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus. His brown eyes were crusty and his nose was dripping like an old faucet.
I paused for what seemed like an eternity as I surveyed this little boy and began making diagnoses based on the physical signs he was exhibiting. About 10 seconds passed while I analyzed the situation and I heard that still, small voice, “Pick him up.”
Are you kidding me?! Lord, I know you want me to love the “least of these,” but you also gave me common sense and a brain to steer clear of danger when I see it. Can’t I love him from a distance?
“Pick him up.”
All of a sudden it was as if Jesus supernaturally gave me a set of polarized Holy Spirit lenses. I looked down at this tiny human and no longer saw a vector for disease, but I saw a creation of the Most High God. I saw a little boy who had to fight for his life in this slum on a daily basis. I saw little hands and little feet that were intricately designed by the Creator of the universe to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I bent down and took his malnourished body in my arms as his bony legs wrapped tightly around my waist. He laughed and cheered as he gently laid his scabbed head on my shoulder. To my left I saw that Kyle, too, had picked up a little nugget so we began to march back to join our team and share the gospel through songs, games, candy, and a silly drama.
It’s kind of funny when you think about it; I almost had a mild panic attack thinking about even touching this child without gloves, a face mask, and a 10-foot pole just a few moments before. I can think of 7 or 8 different infections that I am currently waiting to manifest on my body from today’s encounter, but I can’t stop smiling as I rest in knowing that the Father is holding me, too.
I’m thankful that the Father saw me in my filth and helplessness and told the Son, “Pick him up.” He wasn’t afraid of my mess and He didn’t hesitate for one second to draw me out of darkness. He took on my diseases and my unrighteousness and my shame. He didn’t wait for me to clean myself up and get treatment for the festering wounds I was guarding. He reached down, picked me up, and promised to never let me go.
Listen to me, reader. God sees you in your mess. He sees your wounds and your pain. Maybe you know how desperately you need the God of Peace, but you’re too ashamed to let Him hold you. All too often we find ourselves running from His arms for fear that they may crush us or reveal us for the dirty slum kids that we think we are. He does not expect us to lick our own wounds and put on our Sunday best to earn His love. All He wants from us is a simple posture of submission just like my little friend today. With arms up and eyes locked on His, we shakily whisper, “I give up. I can’t do it on my own,” and He’s already bent down ready to scoop us up.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If you have repented of your sin and put your trust in Jesus, then you are already being held in the Father’s arms. Take a lesson from my little buddy today and stop squirming to get away. Rest your head on His shoulder and find strength in joy.
I may have accumulated some fungal infections and some lice today (I’ll keep y’all posted), but those can be resolved with a little medication. The lessons learned today are sure to stick around for a lifetime and the opportunity to love an often overlooked child for the sake of the gospel is immeasurable.
Thank you, Lord, for eyes to see people the way you do.
Break my heart for what breaks yours as I follow you into the unknown.
In your beautiful name I ask, Amen.
