For in you the orphan finds compassion. // Hosea 14:3
My friend walked me to the back of the hospital to a small room with blue walls. There I met an orphan named Yakob.
He was abandoned as a baby for being HIV positive. Now this teenage boy was diagnosed with Leukemia. My heart sank into my chest, and I tried to hold back tears as my eyes met his frail stature. He was weakened from his double sickness and therapy. He didn’t say much. I returned daily to be with him, and I noticed he was eating less and losing his vision. His speech became increasingly slurred. He could still pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary though—his words became almost incomprehensible to the unaccustomed listener.
But he was praying. And I believe the Lord was listening.
For the next two weeks my heart expanded in compassion for Yakob in a way I did not know possible. I argued with the doctors. I fought for him as if he were mine. I had no idea it would be my last night with Yakob but as I said goodbye one evening, I told him in Amharic that I loved him. I blessed him and left. He died in the early hours of the next morning. We sang and prayed for him and buried him in a plot of land designated for the orphans.
My heart was filled with compassion for a boy I had met mere weeks beforehand. How much more did the Lord love him and have compassion for him? What I felt was only a small trickle of the outpoured love and mercy of the Father towards His beloved children. That I could be at his bedside, hold him, and love him was only an act of the Lord’s mercy towards Yakob. He had Yakob in mind; He had not abandoned him.
The Lord fights for us, sisters. He remembers us. We are not orphaned or abandoned even if mother or father should forget us (see Psalm 27:10; Isaiah 49:15). Even if you feel lonely today, I invite you to believe this truth deeply and help others experience this compassion and love of our God.
We are not orphaned or abandoned. // Rocio HermesClick to tweet
Rocio Hermes is a Dominican-born, US-raised, stay-at-home mom who is excited about building community, baking desserts, and writing poetry. She holds a Master’s degree in Theology and has lived in Ethiopia as a missionary. Rocio now lives in Israel with her German husband and their son. She is a contributing author to Blessed Conversations: Dwell as well as Teaching Author on Blessed Conversations: Gift, a Study on the Eucharist. You can read more from her at graceandmercyblog.com.
Rocío Hermes es una mama de casa nacida en República Dominicana y criada en Estados Unidos, a quien le entusiasma construir una comunidad, hornear postres y escribir poesía. Tiene una maestría en Teología y ha vivido en Etiopía como misionera. Rocío ahora vive en Israel con su marido alemán y su hijo. Es autora colaboradora de Blessed Conversations: Dwell. Puede leer más sobre ella en Graceandmercyblog.com.
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