So I went for a walk with one of my squad mates the other day. As we turned the corner we bumped into a big group of little brown African’s. They immediately ran up to us, wrapped their arms around our legs and gazed up at us with the most beautiful dark brown eyes. This one little girl even grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. It made sense to just bring her with me, so we walked hand in hand together down the road to the market.
If there is one thing the Lord has been talking to me about while I’ve been here in Africa is His Father’s heart. The Father-son relationship that Jesus and God have is out of this world. It’s unlike anything anyone has ever seen. So much so that it was the one thing that the people of His day questioned the most.
Through it all Jesus remained confident of His sonship to the Father. He knew who His Daddy was. He knew who He was as a son. His identity was rooted in the knowledge and understanding of God being a good Dad. I believe this same type of relationship is what Jesus longs for us to have too. I love this about our God. He’s a Dad longing to love on His kids. WOW.
I have loved being with the children of Rwanda this month. After the genocide one of the biggest difficulties was the two to four million children that were left without a mommy or daddy. That means that today, 18 years later most of those orphan children affected would be around my age. This brings me to the story of my friend Wilson, a 23-year old Rwandan native.
The genocide affected him in a very real way. He was just 5 years old when everything happened. There were 11 people in his family and now there are 2. He was saved from the genocide and sent to a nearby country as a refugee to hide out for many years. It was hard very tough, being a child with no one. No parents. No family. No home. No life. No future. He lived this way for many years but one day He met Jesus. And now says that God is the one who turned his life around.
He is now back here in Rwanda and just graduated college. He lives around Kigali and has found a home at one of the local churches. He loves to help Pastor John serve world race teams. He has literally been the team’s local tour guide all month. He is always smiling and has the biggest heart. I love his story and how at one time he had an orphan heart but now knows he's a son and a part of a family.
I am so enouraged. I trust that God not only had a plan for Wilson but has a plan for all the little orphan children of the world, even that beautiful little girl that walked me to the market the other day. His Daddy’s heart is out of this world. He longs to love. His desire is for us to know Him as Daddy. The more and more that we encounter Him in this way, the more and more we feel accepted, loved and safe. The insecurities fade away and we realize just how wildly crazy in love the God of this universe is for us.
My prayer is that the voice of the Father would thunder over the hearts of His children. There is Hope!
