I remember praying a few years ago "Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours". A sincere prayer of seeking God's will and a desire to join God's activity in the lives of others. Today was a very real reminder of my prayer and of God's desire to show His heart for the broken through us.
Maria and I went to visit a family in San Manuel to see if we could bring them into a physical therapy program that we are working on for next year. As we entered the gate of their home, I was admiring the beautiful flowers and shrubs that surrounded their house. Then my eyes lifted to see a little girl run out and jump into Maria's arms, happy to see her. She smiled and then we followed her inside the small block house. I looked down to see two boys laying in the floor with makeshift diapers on and one larger boy leaning against the corner. None of the three could walk and the two smaller boys couldn't sit up on their own. The hair was rubbed off of the back of their heads from squirming around on the concrete floor and their bodies had numerous sores from the hard floor. They turned and looked up at me with their dark sparkling eyes and incredible smiles.
Maria immediately got down in the floor and started talking to them and playing with them. With my heart breaking, I choked back the tears and got down to visit with them also. The boys were all born with a disability and haven't developed the muscles needed to sit up and walk like most children. They are 8, 9 and 22. There were 3 more siblings. The 4 year old girl, Diana, I met as we entered, one boy placed in a childcare facility and one that had died. The mom was scurrying around cooking rice on the stove while going back and forth between the kids, taking care of them. Maria explained about the foundation that could help them with physical therapy and the possibility of them starting in February. The mom's face was glowing with hope as Maria talked about the possibility of teaching them to walk.
I can't imagine losing a child, letting one go to be raised somewhere else, trying to care for a 4 year old -very active- little girl and caring for 3 more disabled children... especially in poverty stricken circumstances. I can't imagine what kind of quality of life they will have. I can't possibly imagine what their future will hold, but I can see God putting together pieces of a puzzle to bring them hope. So my prayer shall continue to be "Lord to break my heart for what breaks yours" AND "Lord allow me to see Your glory shown in the lives of others." Thankful today for seeing God's hope...in the midst of a broken heart.
