A few days ago my team and I were doing some house visits. These are always a huge blessing. Seriously I have never experienced hospitality like that of the slums in India. They will give and give even if it means sacrificing their dinner. Usually we all cram into a tiny room, the size of most Americans bathrooms or walk-in closets, and sit on the floor. On this visit there was about 8-10 of us crammed in an even smaller room.
As we sat there sipping our warm chai, I noticed too eyes sheepishly staring back into mine from behind a curtain in a back room. Later, it was explained to us that those eyes belonged to the oldest daughter of the house. She was 20 years old. Her brother told us that his parents were trying to marry her off, but that there was “no interest.” At hearing this I turned around and met this girls eyes once more. She seemed ashamed.
How heartbreaking. How unfair. I hope she knows that she is not unwanted. I hope she knows that she is not a burden on her family. In the Indian culture, a woman’s worth is often correlated to her marital status and the phrase “love marriage” is considered taboo. All things considered, I couldn’t help but wish for something more for her. She deserves to believe that she is beautiful, because of who created her. She deserves to know that she is worthy, regardless of who has or has not pursued her. She deserves to feel loved and made whole. Not in a conditional way, but in an unconditional, from the Lord kind of way.
My prayer for her is that she would one day know and believe that she is so worth it. So worth it that God sent His only son to die on a cross for her. For me. For you. For us.
“For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end” (Psalm 48:14)
