Why?

If we had to trace it back, it all started with that first bite, I suppose. What makes me angry now is a result of the first bite of the forbidden fruit. It answers my questions of “Why. Why, oh Lord must this be?” We live in a fallen world and are living in a place of sin. That’s why. As I watch an 18 year old girl hold herself tight and rock back and forth, I swallow the lump in my throat and resist the selfish urge to close my eyes and pretend I don’t see it. As she rocks back and forth in rhythm, “Why…Why…Why repeats in my head with her every beat.

Within her eyes sits that blank stare that haunts me as I write. It’s the ”institutional daze” that I shutter to observe. I hate it. I hate what, God only knows, has happened to her. I look around me. In a cold orphanage, a broken window lets in winter air to the room that is close to zero degrees. No heat in this room. She has no coat.

As I travel back in time it seems to streets with horse drawn buggies and buckets hanging from water wells, I do see improvements. However, too many children are still left in the cracks. Why is this girl here? Is it because of her Gypsy race? Has she been so badly abused that she has crawled into an emotional shell and can’t come out to function properly? Has she been abandoned by everyone she knows? What will happen to her? What will happen to the young little girl on the other side of the room? She is smiling and dancing. What a contrast she is to the girl rocking back and forth. She is the only one in the room with a sparkle in her eye. As I look around at the other girls, that sparkle is missing. When did they lose it? How many days does this little girl have left for her sparkle to shine? At what point does the sparkle get robbed from them? Will she be rocking back and forth, like the older girl in the room, next year at this time?

As I emotionally recover from what was a great trip, I can’t help but be left with some harsh imprints on my heart and in my mind. These kids aren’t just a statistic. They are children. From five years ago, I can see large steps have been taken forward. Overall, things are definitely better. However, for the ones that haven’t seen improvement, my heart aches and wonders how long they will be left sinking in the cracks of the system. They have been robbed. The enemy has indeed robbed them, but it’s easy to put all the blame on him. What about us? Do we sit silently knowing they are out there and do nothing? Aren’t we to blame for some of this suffering? No, maybe we didn’t cause it but we certainly have turned the other way when confronted with the need and ways to help. We all have. Maybe we aren’t so far removed from that first bite of fruit long ago.

Please pray today for the children suffering in Romania. Start there and then move to a prayer on ways you can help. He will lead you in what direction He wants you to go. He is waiting for you to ask.