Faithfulness in the Beauty Shop

I sit six feet away on a golden Victorian chair.

My eyes fill up with tears as I gaze at her.

She catches my eyes and smiles. The thumb in her mouth, the opposite hand pulling her ear forward. Her hair sticking up in the biggest afro known to mankind. The hairdresser takes her to the shampoo area and she looks over her shoulder at me.

She smiles. And I smile back.

God’s faithfulness and goodness. They are present, and I’ve seen them. God in flesh - so real, I can touch Him.

You see, this little girl was placed in my arms just over three years ago. She was so light, I remember. And sad. VERY sad. Her eyes were big and just glared at me. She was confused. I would have been too. She had no clue. My heart was exploding.

Not a word came from her mouth. Not a sound. For a full hour. Then, she let loose and screamed non-stop for about two hours straight. I had no idea how to calm her except to sing to her and hold her. Her language was not mine, and I couldn’t communicate otherwise. But, the Lord heard my groans and tended to her heart.

I will never forget the next morning. The whole family sat in the living room of a family in Uganda. She came walking down the steps in her new nightgown. Sucking her thumb and pulling on her ear. Her eyes looked all the way around the room totally confused as to what to do. Then, her eyes met mine, and she chose me. She came right to me and climbed up in my lap. My heart melted then and there. She knew I was hooked.

Oh, there have many nights of terrors, screaming and waling. It has been hard and painful. She has grieved. We have held. She has cried. We have wiped away tears. We have discovered her past, and it infuriates us as parents. No child should go through what she did. It is ugly, and it is real. More than anything else, God has comforted all of us. He has been The Father to the fatherless (all of us included). He has shown us His love and His faithfulness.

I watch her get her hair braided, and I can laugh at the days we have had together. An African little girl who has known pain like no other. A Caucasian momma who has become her biggest cheerleader. And, I know that God is our All in All. He is Enough. He is Sufficient. He is good.

Praise His Name!