A Broken Heart

This morning we were sitting at the mission house worshiping with song when the Lord struck me with contentment that I haven't felt in years. I leaned over close to Brent and told him "there is no other place on earth I'd rather be than here."

Today has been full of blessings. First of all, we have been struck with the reality of the Lord's blessing our team 'chemistry.' With a group of 30 being thrown together for 7 days, 24 hours a day, in trying conditions, it is inevitable that we would experience some type of 'personality conflicts'. The opposite of this has happened; we have been the perfect compliment for each other lifting each other through our individual weaknesses.

I was especially broken today over one specific orphan. I have held, loved, and prayed over hundreds of children this week and have many times been overwhelmed with compassion for their suffering and needs. This young guy was not the cutest of the group; he was middle aged, was covered in scabie sores, had a bloated stomach from malnutrition, and was just plain bony. I was holding him and feeding him an 'ensure' for some much needed calories while praying over him. I begged the Lord to fill the boy with His Spirit and love him. With Christ's love of the innocence of little children providing motivation; I asked the Lord to take blessing from me and give them to this child that has seemingly had everything deprived of him. He was so young and innocent, yet every suffering known to man had been inflicted on him. I am not innocent, yet the Lord has seen fit to give me every blessing under the sun. 'Lord, fill him with the Spirit that fills me' I prayed. My heart opened and was broken. I was broken over the depth of Christ's love toward me. I was broken over the inequality; over the suffering; over the innocence.

This young man had no parents, lived in a tiny concrete building with 90 other orphans, and had quickly declining health. I have health, family, and more than enough possessions. We have nothing in common. I loved him because the Lord loves him. My heart broke over his suffering because the Lord is broken over him.

As we moved on to our second orphanage for the day, I didn't forget this boy. Why did I love him specifically? What was the Lord doing in me? I welcomed transformation in my heart. In my travels, there have been many times standing in an orphanage looking impoverished kids in the eye empathising with their position but not breaking over them. How often have you read about their suffering in a magazine, seen their pictures on TV and simply sent a check so you feel better? I have done it. I have done my duty. But as Christians, this is not enough. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to Love. Do we love the widows and orphans, the little children, as Christ did? If we do our actions would show it ... our checkbooks would show it. Christ says 'where a man's treasure is, there his heart is also.' A piece of my heart has been left in a nondescript orphanage in Haiti. Where is yours?

In Christ

Timothy Hamilton