The Other Side of the Wall

You could say this side of the wall is the side where the grass is a little greener. The field where
soccer balls fly freely and smiles are a little easier to give. The classrooms where safety is felt in
ways many never dream of needing to feel safe, with the teacher who sees behind the tired eyes
and refusal to do work. The side where, Romanians and Americans alike hold out open arms to
children who run into them and never want to let go. This side? This is the side children are trying
so hard to escape to.

The other side, though, is the side they are trying to escape from, if only for a few moments. The
side that staked its claim at birth, calls its children back, and is deeming itself responsible to hold
onto them forever.

On the other side of the wall, the life of possibility is something that takes every breath from within
to fight for. Once one foot steps through the gate, or lands on the other side of the wall, dreams get
buried and sent a billion miles away. This side of the wall draws its family in, trapping them in the
lives of ancestors and in the midst of a caste like system.

On the other side of the wall, little girls carry siblings almost as tall as themselves down steep hills.
They carry them with skill, for they’ve made this trek a thousand times. With the strength of Goliath
and Mary combined, these small girls act as mini mothers. Little boys walk on top of the wall as if
they are spies, but instead of being hidden by Rahab, they are out in the open. The guards will
notice, and they will not be able to sneak over to the school to kick around the soccer balls. They
must go home. They must work hard. There is no time for play right now.

If you look a little harder, though, you will also see a special light on the other side, its dim light
growing ever brighter. For there is a new hope on the other side. A hope for a better life, for a
future. A newfound faith that is lighting the fires of dreams and sparking flames in hearts. This
special light started with some teachers, Americans, and Romanians and its infectious nature is
slowly and miraculously being caught by the Roma children and their families.

A special hope is growing there. Based on faith in God and His truth and goodness and a
community of believers willing to share the good news and their lives with each other, this community
is becoming a more hope filled place. Someday there will be no wall. No other side. Just community,
hope, and faith.

I’m so very grateful for the opportunities I have had to see glimpses of both sides of the wall. The
people I have met there are extraordinary and have changed my life and heart in ways that I can
never fully put into words. Join me in my prayer that someday, someday soon, there will be no
“other side of the wall,” that there will only be a community of brothers and sisters in Christ coming
together to rejoice in God’s love.  

Changes Beautiful Splendor

Waterfalls all over the world draw people to them. They are a source of wonder and beauty. They are the picture on postcards in almost every country. People spend days, and travel miles and miles to see them, and check one more thing off their bucket list.

Why are waterfalls so much more beautiful than the lake or the river?

Because they change.

A lake stands there peaceful and still. Nothing but the settling and splashing of ducks or skipping of rocks disturbs its stagnant state. Rivers often flow by peacefully and gently. Rocks stand there while water rushes around them. They hold a beauty all their own, but Waterfalls, are a completely different story. They are stunningly captivating.

A waterfall is literally water falling because there was a change. The ground gave away from beneath the flowing water, and there is nothing to catch it until hundreds or thousands of feet below. When at last, the water is done falling, it crashes and splashes against the water below, changing course.  Then it ripples along in the current, slowly getting calmer and calmer.

Life is like that too. The river may be calm and gentle for miles, lulling in its steadiness. Then, there’s a riverbend, and you might not know what is around it, whether good or bad. You come around the bend, there was a small change, but nothing big, and the river looks smooth for a while. All of a sudden, there’s a huge change, something big, and you’re falling, and you don’t know what to do because it feels like there’s no one there to catch you. Then the change is complete, but you don’t understand why things had to change. It makes no sense, you want to rebel and go back to how things were. There’s a deep heart wrenching pain. Slowly you begin to see that life goes on even if it’s different and not the way you expected it to be. Eventually, you can see the beauty in life again, and every moment is no longer filled with such torment.

Waterfalls are in a state of constant change, yet they are one of the most beautiful things God created. There is beauty in that change. The beauty may be hidden, like any good treasure is, and it may take a little hunting, but it’s there, just waiting to be discovered.

It is in the mess and the fall of the waterfall, the lightening and darkening shades of the sky as the sun rises and sets, the waves and tides of the ocean, leaves changing colors in fall, the growing and blooming of flowers, and the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly that change is the most beautiful.

In nature, change leads to fruit, flowers, colors, life, and basically every beautiful living thing. The change in nature shows us the magnificent splendor of the one who created it all.

In the stagnant water, nothing ever changes. While this might seem nice at first, eventually we see that nothing is ever discovered without change. We would never grow if everything always stayed the same, and there would be no butterflies and “light bulb” moments. We wouldn’t feel the need to cling so tightly to God if every single thing was perfect, or realize our immense need for His unending love, grace, and mercy.

The one who created the changing waterfalls, sunrises, sunsets, oceans, and flowers created us too. So, doesn’t the change that He throws at us and helps us walk through make us beautiful too? Isn’t there beauty in what we discover and learn through change? Isn’t there beauty in being forced to lean on our Almighty Father, clinging to Him who creates and loves all things good and beautiful?

I used to think that nothing good comes from change.

Now, I’m beginning to see that, sometimes, the most truly beautiful things have gone through change. In the midst of change, the we can best see the most beautiful thing - the constant presence of God. No matter what changes around me, no matter how change makes me feel, God is present and faithful through it all. He is the one constant in the midst of the beautiful and ugly in every change.

And , the most inspiring stories?

Well, they come from people whose hearts have been changed, for God takes the broken and makes it beautiful.