There are a million questions this side of heaven that I will never know the answer to or understand.
One being, how and why can a little girl’s childhood be robbed of its perfect innocence by ANYONE much less her father??
This was a question I wrestled with recently on a trip to a native tribal community in the jungle of Peru.
I think God has put a special place in my heart for women and kids, which is funny because I didn’t really use to like either. Women scared me because of trust issues and children scared me because of rejection issues. No idea why!
However, through a lot of healing in my personal life I believe He has given me the eyes to see them both in ways that He sees them.
I see their incredible beauty inside and out but I can also see them right where they are at which is sometimes sitting in a lot of hurt.
That is what I saw in Matzuriniari, the community we visited. I saw INCREDIBLE beauty…some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen but I also saw A LOT of hurt.
The last day we were in the village, Pastor Oscar, the pastor of the church we were with was giving a devotional. He was preaching the Word. Even though I don’t understand Spanish well I knew he was bringing one of those tough love messages. One of those messages that hurts but man is it so good!
Towards the end of his message a man stood up in the back and basically repented of his sins in front of everyone. He acknowledged that he had done things wrong with his family and explained that young girls can’t even hug their fathers in this community because it is associated with such bad things. My heart broke at this moment because that pain I was able to discern was true. I started to cry thinking about what those women and little girls had been through but then I started to cry harder at the transformation God was doing in people’s lives there.
At that time, Pastor Oscar asked one of the little girls to come up to the front and gave her a big huge safe hug.
My tears started flowing even harder because it was the perfect physical representation of our Heavenly Father’s love for us.
I remember and don’t ever want to forget that moment when Jesus embraced me and told me I am His beloved daughter.
That’s how my life was transformed and my heart was changed. That is how their lives are being changed and transformed.
Her earthly father may have touched her inappropriately or gave her to be wed as a child but all it takes is ONE touch from her Heavenly Father to be completely redeemed and made new.
Praise the Lord for the work He is doing in Matzuriniari! Praise the Lord for the missionaries that have brought the Good News to an unreached people group. Continue to pray for their lives to be restored and for each and everyone of them to have the hope of Jesus Christ. Amen.
