God’s love shines through a child’s eyes!

Although this year’s NTX Expo had some great God moments, my fondest memory isn’t from the outreach itself. In fact, it  was 3 days before when we were sharing with a local VBS missions group who was stuffing our goody bags.

About half way through the morning shifts of classes, a church member who I’d met the year before at the same church VBS approached me and told me about a young girl who she was caring for from overseas.

She said the girl was sent to the US by missionaries for the third time to have more surgeries to further correct her contracted limbs. I don’t remember the cause of her disability but she was born with both her arms and legs tightly contracted leaving her unable to use either. The woman told me the surgeries had helped but that the young girl still has many physical challenges including not being able to walk on her own.

The love and compassion she had for the little girl was very evident and it inspired me to see God’s care for “the least of these” through her actions. In turn, I was a bit surprised when she asked if she could bring the little girl to meet me. I thought, “Why me, I’m no doctor or surgeon”? I mean there is nothing I had to offer to help her physical challenges. I can’t even move my own legs or fingers.

Then the  woman explained that she thought if the young girl could meet me and see how God was using me for His Kingdom (yes, even me), she might be encouraged to know that God could use her, too.

Well, when she brought the little girl in the room, the love of Jesus in her eyes melted my heart. She was exuding the joy of the Lord and it ministered to me beyond what I could ever imaged her being blessed by meeting me. I was especially touched as I held out my hand to show her how my fingers did not work like her’s and she responded by reaching out and smiling.

You know, I may not see that little girl ever again this side of heaven but I know that God will use her in a mighty way on this earth. It may not be easy but with Jesus in her heart she will bless many folks much more that she did me that day.