Wanted

Today I heard a story. It's a story I've heard before. It's a story that we've all heard before. It's a story about abandonment, about neglect, about not being wanted.

Not being wanted.

It is truly heartbreaking. And like I said, It's a story that I've heard, we've all heard, countless times, about countless people all over the world. It's a story that we hear and we often feel a bit distraught about for a few moments but largely we've become desensitized to it. Or at least that’s what I've found to be the case for myself.

What's different about this story? In many ways not much. But in many ways so much. The girl in the story is someone that I have gotten to know a bit over the last number of weeks. And she is just that, a girl, a young woman, fifteen years old. It's a story that's not over yet, It's literally playing out before my eyes. When I heard her story it hit me in a way that stories like just like hers don't always do. Inevitably, I thought about how very blessed I am to BE wanted. To know without a doubt that there is a place I can come home to, a family and parents who will love me unconditionally. It's no new revelation to me, it's something that I'm reminded of regularly, but today has been one of those days where it's hit me again, really sunk in. I've realized again how rare a story I have.

Really breaks your heart for people. It makes me wish that you could just wave a wand or people to feel the love that Christ has for them.  But you can't, it's a knowledge that each person has to come to on their own. Sure, there are things you can do or say that can help people along, but in the end its just between them and God. Maybe I'm just getting a bit nostalgic or emo or something like that, but it's just been one of those moments that makes you really think.

So that's what's been on my mind today. Here is the chorus to one of my favourite songs. It's a song that represents one of my biggest prayers for this trip (and life in general too).

Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Lord give me Your eyes

 

 -Brandon Heath 

A bit of a side story about this song: When I was in Dadala village, I was sitting on the beach just doing a little journaling and such. As usual, I wasn't alone for very long and I was soon surrounded by a bunch of kids wanting to see what I was doing. One of the boys started reading aloud what I was writing down. Even though I am pretty sure that he and the other children didn't understand much of what he was reading, there is something really vulnerable about having your personal thoughts read allowed for everyone to hear. So I quickly put an end to that by flipping to pages in my journal that have the lyrics to worship songs, quotes and scripture written on them and let him read those pages aloud instead. Even though it was a simple thing, for me it was a powerful moment. There was something about hearing a child read those lyrics aloud and with such childlike innocence that nearly brought me to tears. Like I said, I have no idea how much that boy or the other children around us could understand, but nevertheless it was beautiful.