So Frighteningly Real

It’s so real, so frighteningly real.
Not frightening in the sense that I was scared
    as I walked through the exhibit,
but frightening in the sense that
    what I saw and heard and experienced
    is real life to more people than I realize.

To see such pain and suffering—
    the sick and wounded,
    those both motherless and fatherless,
    children raising their own siblings,
    young boys forced to beat their own fathers to death,
    the absolute brokenness.
So frighteningly real.

I know what pain is, and I know what it is to hurt.
But the depth of pain and hurt that so many children experience
    makes me sick to my stomach.
It’s inconceivable to me,
    who has been blessed beyond compare
        with a family who loves me,
        with friends who share my life,
        with a place to find rest,
        with a place to call home.

As I looked into the eyes of the hurting children, I could see
    their pain,
    their longing,
    and a call for something more.
 A cry for help...and for hope.

My heart breaks for the people...for the children.
They are children of God.

I think this is a small glimpse of what the Lord sees
    when he looks at us.
If only we would see the hurt, the pain, and the brokenness
    and through it come to understand the Lord’s heart
    and His desire for us to call out to Him.
May the Lord lead us as a family,
    into being a broken people who desire
    to have clean hands and pure hearts,
    ready and willing to serve Him.

I believe that each of us is called to help in some way.

Danielle Perry
Age 18
Westside Christian High School
Westside Outside, Thailand Project