Change

"Lord, give me your words today.  Give me joy and please Lord, give me patience with the orphans today.  I pray that they may see you in my actions," was my half-thought of a prayer while walking over to the orphanage this afternoon to paint with the kids.  Prayer, like many things in my life, simply slips out of my mind.  This week alone, I have forgotten a faculty meeting and overslept for school.  I am typically absent minded - but this afternoon - I was prayerful, and later I was grateful.

"You have the power to change" - the orphan who painted this picture told me today.  "I have the power to change?" I asked.  She looked into my eyes, searching.  "You have the power to change people.  I want to change.  I want to be nice like my friend is.  I want to change." She said.


This little girl's past is warped with abuse.  Her wounds surface in violence and then she shuts down and withdraws.  She fights a bigger spiritual battle than I could ever imagine.


Today she told me she wanted to change.  She thought she would be able to change when she went to America with a new family.  She wanted to change her physical body.  Lord, give me words, I prayed.  I started paraphrasing the 139th Psalm - telling her that "God formed her inward parts, He wove her in her mother's womb...you are fearfully and wonderfully made."  She looked deep into my eyes, as we discussed that we are all suppose to change each day.  I told her that I ask the Lord to change me every day - to make me more like His Son, Jesus.  Our spirits are to be changed, but our physical bodies are perfect according to His plan.


Another child needed help, and when I turned back around to her, she had gotten my Bible out of my bag and was holding it out to me, "Read it to me," she said.  Moved almost to the point of shock, I thumbed to the center of my Bible and read the entire 139th Psalm to her, paraphrasing each part after I read.  All of her focus was on God's words coming out of my mouth.  When I finished, she asked me to read more.  There I was, in the middle of my painting lesson, where I rarely have two of the orphan's attention at the same time, and they were all listening to the Bible.  


Yes, God moves.  Yes, God changes lives.  Yes, God wants me to change today.  Yes, God wants you to change today.


"I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God- it changes me."
— C.S. Lewis