I saw her, and at first she looked like a child. The tiny
school shoes on her feet hardly looked big enough for a kid in grade one, but
as my eyes moved up the short little legs and torso, they came to rest on her
face. The face of a young woman. And on that beautiful face, despite the pain
in her eyes, was a smile. It cut right through me.
She was a dwarf. This was not something she had chosen,
something she could do anything about. It wasn’t her fault that she was born
this way, yet she didn’t seem resentful. Walking just ahead to her was a
“normal” schoolmate, making her disadvantage all the more obvious.
At her age, she could have had so much going for her, but
instead she must live like this. It just isn’t fair. And then another thought,
one that chilled me to the bone. That could have been me. Why should she
suffer, and I live a comfortable life? Not only does she have the disability,
it’s obvious that she doesn’t enjoy the same privileges I do, either... The
tables could just as well have been turned.
That’s when I ask myself the question, “How would I respond
if I were in her situation?” It can’t be nice to have people like me staring at
you because you’re different…would I still offer a smile? Would I have peace in
my heart, and would I be willing to trust God? Would I even bother to pursue
and education, or would I just give up, saying it’s useless?
There I sit in a comfortable car, thinking how miserable my
life is because I’m battling to get internet and it’s been too long since I
last ate! So petty! And to think, there are people who’ve never heard of
internet, who don’t even know when they last ate, or where their next meal is
coming from!
Father, help me. Help me to see life from Your perspective.
Take my life in self-sacrificing service to Your children.
Thank You for a smile, undeserved…
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