21 January 2008

Andrea

I know a little girl that has it in her to be a punk. She was raised in a garbage dump. Not real big on manners. Likes to steal. Doesn't follow rules that are for her own good. Throws selfish fits when she doesn't get her way.

The first day I ever interacted with her I was installing doors at the rescue home where she lives. She was climbing on things that I told her not to, kept going through my toolboxes, and when I went to the hardware store for 5 minutes she hid my circular saw in a closet.

In other words she's done some punk stuff to me.

Saturday I was at a church party and she was there with tons of other kids at the garbage dump where she grew up. Long story short, the pinata fell early and she got caught at the bottom of a dog pile for candy. I could barely see her pink shirt and her hair as she was being pushed face down in the dirt...but I could hear her crying. The other kids were of one mind and that mind was candy.

I didn't realize how much I loved her till I saw her in that much pain and went and pulled her out of the bottom of the pile.

She didn't let go of me for at least an hour. The house mother and I washed her up and nursed her scrapes and cuts, then she wrapped herself around me and wouldn't let go.

...and I didn't want her to. She did the same thing at church yesterday.

Moral of the story...that little girl used to do some punk things to me. But I couldn't love anybody more than I do her. I have never hurt so bad as I did when I saw her scared and alone in the bottom of that pile. All I ever wanted was to pull her out and hold her.

I realized how parents feel...and maybe how God feels about us...at that moment.

And you know. Nobody started loving her because she stopped being a punk. She stopped being a punk because people started loving her.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Good story; Eli That's how we feel about you and your sister when we see you at the bottom of your pile of what ever it be.
LOVE DAD

Unknown said...

You don't know me but I received your info from The River Church in Cookeville. Being a mom of three I can understand the love of a child. My oldest can be very obnoxious at times but if he is ever in danger I'm right there to help him. Love is so amazing. It can change a person in an instant. No wonder God chose to describe himself as :LOVE: Who can resist it?

jnt. said...

LOVE this story.