Joy Is Not Situational
On my last day in Uganda, I had the privilege of meeting the most incredible family. Before going to their home, all I knew about them was that the mother is now blind and they are struggling to survive. Going there, I expected to see a tragic situation. I expected to see a sad family angry at God and blaming Him for their predicament. I expected the woman to be bitter about losing her eyesight and begging for us to show her mercy. I expected to meet four children who are not being taken care of or loved. I should know better than to expect the worst in a situation, but I was just imagining life as a member of that family. I had preconceived ideas about what it must be like to lose your eyesight and still care for yourself and your family. I was humbled, amazed, and blessed by what we found in this home. We found a beautiful mother full of joy and life and love. We found a woman fully reliant on God to provide and trusting Him with her life and her children. We found a woman thankful to be alive and blessed by God’s mercy in her life. We found a selfless woman most concerned with how her kids will eat and get through school. We found a woman who has not given up on herself or her family. We found a woman making the most of her situation, without an ounce of bitterness in her. We found a woman so deeply in love with Jesus that love was overflowing from that home. We found a woman who was only angry about her situation because she can’t work and provide for her family anymore. We found a woman whose smile was bigger than life and who was able to laugh at the quirks she could hear in children’s interactions.
We found a family so tightly bonded that their care for one another was visibly evident. We found siblings that love each other more than themselves. We found two older siblings making sacrifices and working part time jobs on their holidays to help provide school fees for the younger two. We found four children stepping up to help take care of each other, their mother, and the home. We found four children who are fighting for their future and fighting to stay together. We found a family with an incredible work ethic and hope that their efforts in school will one day pay off. We found four children well taken care of, well loved, and happy. We found joyful children thankful their mother is alive and embracing every moment they have with her. We found four children whose gratitude and kindness were able to pierce through a language barrier and cultural differences.
Five years ago, Scovia lost her eyesight due to a brain tumor that had spread and weakened the muscles around her eyes. The brain tumor required surgery, but she couldn’t afford the procedure. God provided the funds for her through some generous people. Unfortunately, the tumor had grown by that time and caused the muscles around her eyes to weaken. They performed the surgery and removed the tumor, but she came out completely blind. She still lives in the same home with her four children, but she is no longer able to work and provide for her family. Her eldest son works on his school holidays to help raise school fees for his siblings.
But they still struggle to know how they will eat or pay rent. They have learned to trust God to provide for their family. AICM is working on some ways to help support this family and contribute to providing for things like school fees, etc. I have no doubt God has big plans and a bright future for these four kids. Our prayer is that they are all able to complete school and go on to work toward their respective dreams. However, I am confident that their mother’s faithfulness and trust in God is going to have the greatest impact on their lives.
