I learned one of the biggest lessons of my life a couple of years ago. If I had my choice, I probably would have chosen to learn it a different way, but nonetheless I learned and I know for a fact I will never forget.
It comes up time and time again in my life but it has been extremely heavy on my heart here in Cambodia.
I have shared bits and pieces of my journey thus far but I haven’t gone into a lot of detail. I dealt with major depression about 4 years ago. My life came crumbling down and spiraled out of control. I had done everything “right” in my life thus far and was on the fast track to success. However, I had never felt so alone, isolated and purposeless. I no longer wanted to be here and attempted to take my own life. Not once, but multiple times. I had a problem and I didn’t know how to handle it. I was depressed and felt useless. I didn’t want to be on this planet anymore. I’ll never forget the moment my psychologist asked me to walk across the street to AA. And I will also never forget walking into the 12 o’clock meeting that day. “What in the hell have I done with my life?” I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed some more.
What do you initially think of when you think of AA? I bet the majority of people, if they are truly honest with themselves, don’t necessarily have wonderful things come to mind. I know I didn’t. Probably things you have seen in movies. A bunch of people sitting around complaining? Homeless drunks on the street corners? People that just can’t seem to get their lives together? Definitely nobody like me. Call me ignorant if you want, but I know I am not the only naive one with these thoughts.
There were homeless people, but there were also highly successful professionals, young adults my age, and people from all walks of life. To be honest, and I hate admitting this, they were not people I would necessarily pick to be friends with. But for the first time in my life I felt genuinely seen, known and a sense of belonging. I loved and desired going to meetings because it was a place to just be me exactly where I was at. People loved me for where I was at through the good, the bad and the ugly. I learned so much in those walls. I met some of the most beautiful people I have ever met in my life in those walls.
The biggest lesson of my life was this: Every single person on this planet has a story regardless of what they may look like on the outside. No matter whether a person is homeless or a multimillionaire, every single person on this planet has a reason why they act the way they do and feel the way they do. Everyone has a story. We so easily judge what we see on the outside and don’t even give people a chance. We miss out on so much joy in life by living that way. We miss out on the beauty that lies underneath…
So what does this have to do with Cambodia? Great question. We are currently working with an organization here in Cambodia that runs a program for street kids. These kids are the lowest of low in Cambodia. The majority of their parents are addicts of some sort, if they are even still alive, and these kids beg at night to provide a living for themselves and whatever family they have. They sleep on the streets and literally have nothing. The heart behind this ministry is to give these hopeless kids some hope. They pick these 25 kids up, bring them to the center, bathe them, feed them, provide clothing, send them to school, help them with their homework, let them be normal kids and play and love them.
My question to you is, would you give these kids a chance if you saw them on the street? It’s easy from a distance to say yes, of course I would. I know many would give money to them for sure. But if you were standing in front of them in their little, if any clothing, covered head to toe in dirt, wounded from their previous night’s beatings or mischievous endeavors and sometimes covered in a smell that can take your breath away, what would you do? Would you stop and tell them that they are dearly loved and adored? Would you actually pick them up and hug them to SHOW them that they are loved and adored? (Luckily you don’t have to give me an answer here because it’s a rhetorical question but just think on it. I know we all automatically want to say, “of course I would because I am such an awesome person” but be honest with yourself.)
Here is the sobering reality. These kids come in tattered and absolutely wounded from this world. They look hopeless.
With a little love and care from wonderful people of God….the truth is revealed. These kids are seriously the most beautiful people I have ever seen in my life. Like stunningly beautiful inside and out. To watch them run around with joy and hope on their faces is tear jerking. Sure they have anger issues and misbehave on a continual basis but wouldn’t you if you lived their lifestyle?? I can’t even imagine. Their grandparent’s generation was basically completed wiped out by a genocide, meaning these kid’s parents had no parents, not to mention they may have even watched them get murdered in front of them? How can you sit and judge them for being addicts? Their lives haven’t been easy.
If you walked into the center and saw these kids, you would never know they were any different from other kids. I am sure you would think they were the most adorable kids on the face of this earth and they would steal pieces of your heart. But if you walked up to them in their original state on the street what would you do? Would you give them a chance?
God does not call us to this earth to judge one another based on our appearances, actions, successes or intelligence. God calls us to try and love every single person on the face of this planet the way that He loves us. That is a large calling on our lives. One that we can never measure up to because we are human, not God, but we certainly can try our very best.
Who are you not giving a chance?
I challenge you to give them one and see what beauty lies underneath.
You might be surprised.
