It would be easy to take in children to Ekisa whose parent’s
don’t want them.
It is easy to give
children a bed, food, and love.
It is not easy to work alongside these parents, teaching
them they are not alone, and that their child is fearfully and wonderfully made.
That takes time. It
takes your heart. It takes all you have
to give.
And sometimes, when a mom comes to our gate I WANT to say
yes. Sometimes I want to say YES I will take your child and love them because
right now, it is too hard to love you too.
And that is the ugly truth.
Then I stop. And
remember that Jesus loves this Mom too.
And this Mom needs Jesus just as much as her child. I stop…and listen to
her story…because she is hurting too.
And we talk and come up with some way for Ekisa to walk along side her
in parenting and loving her child. And
it’s hard. And it’s beautiful.
One Mom we considered a “success story”. We had taken Mama Mercy and her daughter in
around 6 months ago. They came into our
family just days after Selina died. In
that moment, Mercy and her Mom was the last thing I felt I needed to deal
with. But I heard my voice on the phone
say bring her. We were in the middle of
a hard season, and they entered into life with us.
It was hard then, and it is hard now. He was faithful then, He is
faithful now.
As the months passed, we saw Mama Mercy’s heart change. Her heart softened, and she started to choose love. For a while she
chose to love her child, a child that society had told her was worthless. She chose to love like Jesus...to love the
least.
But that love comes as a cost. A cost she was no longer willing to pay.
After 6 months of working for us, last week Mama Mercy left without
notice or warning and sent her daughter Mercy to live with extended family.
The other day while talking to Mama Mercy on the phone she told
me she had no intentions of coming back to work or to parent her child.
I was broken. Hadn’t
we loved this Mom, hadn’t we shown her how to love?
Moments after another mom came to our gate. Another Mom who asked me to take her
child. Another Mom asking if her child
could be “fixed”. Another Mom who needs
Jesus.
Once again we are in the midst of a hard season, and I heard
myself say yes. You can have a job. We
can help you, and your son.
I don't know if this Mom is going to chose love…but right now we are choosing to love her and her son. I humbly
ask that you pray for her heart...and for Mama Mercy's heart.
We are still choosing love, to love when its hard. Sometimes we screw it up, but we try. To love when it hurts. To love the ones who are hard to love.
And I am beginning to learn that the hard always goes hand
in hand with the beautiful.
Photo Credit: McKenzie Baird
