The following was written by Amy Eldridge, founder of Love Without Boundaries...
How many times can one’s heart be broken? How many times can you feel a deep connection with another human being and then have to walk away? I had to ask myself that question again and again on this last trip, as I met hundreds of children who don’t deserve to be orphaned. Hundreds of children who reached into my heart to take hold but who I then had to tell goodbye.
At one point, after an extremely emotional dinner that ended with an older child sobbing in my arms, I pretty much lost it on the way back to the hotel. I have to admit that I thought inside, “I can’t do this anymore… because it hurts too much”. I know that probably sounds terrible, but I think all of us try to protect our hearts when we can. But then God quickly reminded me of all the blessings I have been given. How selfish of me to think that my own heart cannot break again, when I know that millions of orphaned children around the world have their hearts broken every day….when no mother or father comes to comfort them. When no one notices that they are hungry or afraid. When people look at them as worthless simply because they live in an orphanage.
Does one moment of loving someone count in a life? Does that one hug or one rub of the back somehow make a difference to a child who is alone? I continue to pray that it does. With every child’s hand that I clasped, every beautiful face that I cupped in my hands….I tried to convey HOW IMPORTANT I believe their lives are. I said a silent prayer that each of them would someday know what it means to be loved completely.
And the truth is I already know the answer to how many times our hearts can break – it is unlimited. But I know without a doubt that our hearts are also unlimited in their ability to open wider and love even more. The heart of an orphan is often the most fragile of all – because it has already suffered such an enormous loss. Yet these same children who have every right to close their hearts…. are almost always willing to take the risk to believe in someone again. And so we must take the risk of hurting as well, if it means that even one more child will know love. I have to believe that even if it is just for a brief moment, every human connection made strengthens the fabric of this world.
- Amy Eldridge
How many times can one’s heart be broken? How many times can you feel a deep connection with another human being and then have to walk away? I had to ask myself that question again and again on this last trip, as I met hundreds of children who don’t deserve to be orphaned. Hundreds of children who reached into my heart to take hold but who I then had to tell goodbye.
At one point, after an extremely emotional dinner that ended with an older child sobbing in my arms, I pretty much lost it on the way back to the hotel. I have to admit that I thought inside, “I can’t do this anymore… because it hurts too much”. I know that probably sounds terrible, but I think all of us try to protect our hearts when we can. But then God quickly reminded me of all the blessings I have been given. How selfish of me to think that my own heart cannot break again, when I know that millions of orphaned children around the world have their hearts broken every day….when no mother or father comes to comfort them. When no one notices that they are hungry or afraid. When people look at them as worthless simply because they live in an orphanage.
Does one moment of loving someone count in a life? Does that one hug or one rub of the back somehow make a difference to a child who is alone? I continue to pray that it does. With every child’s hand that I clasped, every beautiful face that I cupped in my hands….I tried to convey HOW IMPORTANT I believe their lives are. I said a silent prayer that each of them would someday know what it means to be loved completely.
And the truth is I already know the answer to how many times our hearts can break – it is unlimited. But I know without a doubt that our hearts are also unlimited in their ability to open wider and love even more. The heart of an orphan is often the most fragile of all – because it has already suffered such an enormous loss. Yet these same children who have every right to close their hearts…. are almost always willing to take the risk to believe in someone again. And so we must take the risk of hurting as well, if it means that even one more child will know love. I have to believe that even if it is just for a brief moment, every human connection made strengthens the fabric of this world.
- Amy Eldridge
For more information about Love Without Boundaries, visit www.lovewithoutbounderies.com.
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