beauty.

“…a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair…instead of shame my people will receive a double portion, instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance, their joy will be everlasting.”    Isaiah 61:3

A child’s laugh, a child’s innocence, is the same in every language, in every country, in every culture.

I visited the WHI Assessment Center today.  An “emergency room” of sorts for girls who have been brutally used and abused, now given the chance for healing and redemption.  The AC provides physical and emotional care for girls rescued from commercial sexual exploitation or severe rape.  It is a place where they are given love and attention and the chance to be a child again. 

Every time I step through the gateway, I step into a child’s dream world.  Girls running and jumping, swinging and sliding.  Painted murals of children playing cover the security walls and brightly colored paper lanterns, made by the girls, hang from the rafters.  There is so much joy, so much laughter; it is so hard to imagine what these precious little girls have been through. 

The beauty of resilience.  The beauty of God’s love.  I see it and feel it in every part of me.  Beauty springing up everywhere out of ashes, the oil of gladness running like a flowing river of laughter and tears, the garment of praise wrapped tightly around each housemother who opens her arms and welcomes these precious little ones as her own.

I am disgusted, angered, defeated as I write stories I wish didn’t match with the little faces I see outside. I am delighted, inspired, humbled to see the love and compassion and hope that flows through each of the housemothers, counselors and social workers who give themselves completely to be used by God in the lives of these girls. 

It would be much easier for each of them to just give up, find other work.  To not have to face the daily struggle to keep loving the broken and weary and not become broken and weary themselves.  This work can leave you broken hearted, one of the staff said to me.  And yet, she continued, I know God has plans for each one of them.  God changes the bad to the good.  It is the hope we have to hold on to.  The hope and promise for all of us…

We will be His people, and He will be our God.  He will wipe every tear from our eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order will pass away…He makes all things new!  To him who is thirsty, He will give drink without cost from the spring of the water of life…and we will shine with the glory of God and with brilliance like that of a very precious jewel, clear and pure as crystal.     Rev. 21

He has bestowed a crown of beauty on each of us with the promise to make all things new!