A New Heart

The Heart. The place where love and sorrow meet  - where the breaking of the painful past, can be restored by the rebuilding of a hopeful future. The place where brokenness can be made beautiful.

These children above, are praying for new hearts. They are invested in deep prayer and asking for their hearts of stone to melt, and that their new restored hearts, will beat again.  They are praying for forgiveness, seeking grace, and finding that they are loved in this desolate and broken place.

This photo, taken by Exile International during one of their art therapy sessions, is an example of the healing that comes when these former Children of War ask for God redeem their hearts in order to become Children of Peace. The children literally place this cut out red paper heart against their chest, and ask for a new heart.

Amazing Grace. 

My own heart weakens at the sight of this, but at the same time I motivated to LOVE. I want to listen to their stories, to hold them in my arms and tell them that they are forgiven and so loved. I want to tell these precious angels of God that they are safe and sound forevermore. I tremble with awe at the thought that I will have the opportunity to be in the presence of these Children of Peace this summer.

By His love, Jesus removes their hearts of stone and gives these children new hearts, fully alive and overflowing with dreams, passions, potential and PURPOSE. By His love, these children are healed.

and now I ask...
What brokenness can we overcome, when we read and hear the stories of these children? If they can overcome a war, what wars can we overcome in our life? How can we let their stories of redemption change us?

I know that this story, of Children of War becoming Children of Peace, challenges me to love better every day. It challenges me, in the depths of my soul to cultivate a compassion that is changing how I view the world.

These Children are the ones who are teaching me how to be a Child of Peace. I cannot wait to hold their little hands in less than two months and tell them how thankful I am, that they helped me see this new beauty in the world.

-- devon


"A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36: 26