"Haven't you heard?" a friend asked. "Didn't you see the news yesterday? The whole world is heartbroken for a little girl who lost her family in one fell swoop."
Make Us Brave for Life
God, make us brave for life; oh, braver than this.
Let us straighten after pain, as a tree straightens after the rain,
Shining and lovely again.
God, make us brave for life; much braver than this.
As the blown grass lifts, let us rise
From sorrow with quiet eyes,
Knowing Thy way is wise.
God, make us brave, life brings
Such blinding things.
Help us to keep our sight;
Help us to see the right
That out of dark comes light.
--Author unknown
I was overcome with tears as I listened to the story of 11-year-old Huda who saw her father, stepmother, brothers, and sisters all die when an artillery shell exploded near them while they were having a picnic on the beach. Huda's cries echoed around the world. "Don't leave me alone! Please don't leave me alone!"
Within days Huda had become a symbol of Palestinian suffering, but the more I thought about her, the more she seemed to be even more than that. Perhaps she is a symbol of all the children who suffer in our world today, I thought. Perhaps she exemplifies the children of Sudan, the Congo (DRC), Iraq, Afghanistan, and other war-torn countries, and the many millions of children who are malnourished, and all of the children who have suffered the loss of loved ones in natural disasters or to diseases like AIDS.
But Huda was not alone, I knew. God cared for her, and not for her only. He cares for all who suffer. I was reminded of many promises from the Bible that one day soon God will wipe away every tear and bring forth beauty from the ashes of defeat. White lilies will spring up where once there was nothing but blackness. The meek shall inherit the earth, and there will be no more war, death, or destruction. Soon the promised era of peace will come, where love shall reign supreme.
Until then, please take heart and don't lose faith, dear little Hudas of the world. You are loved and never, never alone! God is there to comfort and care for you. It's not here yet, but the day is coming when there will be relief from all suffering. The day is coming, dear children, when all the sorrow and sadness will be wiped away. Until then, we must be brave and ask God to help us face the blows of life with heads held high, and we must always remember that we are never alone!
Lilia Potters is a member of the Family International in the Middle East.
