Postscript to "The Girl"

I would like to add a few thoughts on the story of "The Girl." I've had a few readers comment that the story is sad, and I guess that at this point, it is. A few others have indicated that it's a shame that she made some bad choices after so much had been invested in her future. That's true as well. But I still think there is hope for her to accomplish great things--to fulfill whatever purpose God has for her young life. And I know from experience that things aren't always what they seem to us when we're in the middle of them.

I have certainly been discouraged with the recent developments in the Girl's story. After all, I have seen evidence of God's hand on her life. There are just too many coincidences to believe otherwise. I felt that I had an important part in the story. After all, I had personally invested time, money, prayers, and plans in hopes that she could break the cycle of poverty so common in Honduras. So I have to admit that my initial reaction was "Why, God? Why does it have to turn out this way when You've so obviously been working in our lives?"

I was reminded this morning when reading some Scripture that negative twists in story lines are hardly unusual in the lives of God's people. Specifically, I was reading in 2 Kings 3:8-37, the story of the prophet Elisha and an old women. If you are unfamiliar with the story, let me paraphrase it for you.

Elisha was a traveling prophet at a time when few cared to hear anything from God. He was befriended by an old couple in the village of Shunem, who graciously prepared him a place to stay whenever he was in their neighborhood. Wanting to repay their kindness, Elisha asked the women if there was something he could ask God to give her, but she maintained she had everything she needed. Elisha's servant pointed out that she was old and childless. So Elisha tells the women that when he returned in about a year, she would be holding a new addition to the family.

The woman's response is priceless. It is, in essence: "Don't mess with me, man of God. Don't give me some kind of false hope. I'm too old to deal with that." But the story goes as we expect when God is involved, and sure enough, the old woman is blessed with a son.

Some time later in the story (I assume a few years went by), the story takes an unexpected turn. The kid dies. Just dies. No explanation.

The grief stricken woman hunts down Elisha, who knows something is wrong when he sees her coming. Her words to Elisha surely stung: "Did I ask you for a son? Didn't I tell you not to give me false hope?"

There is no recorded response from Elisha (no "Don't you know that God loves you?"; or "All things work for good to those who love the Lord"; or even, "Smile, God's in control"). He simply takes action, returning to the woman's home and to the child's dead body. After some anxious moments and a lot of prayer, God restores the child's life. The woman is reunited with her beloved son.

I think I can relate to both the old woman and Elisha. I certainly understand not wanting to have "false hope." And I believe that Elisha must have wondered "God, what are You doing?", even though this isn't stated. He simply kept believing in God's plan and in His purpose. And he took action accordingly. And to me, that's the important part--the taking action.

That's the next chapter in the Girl's story, too. I'll look forward to giving you an update some time in the future.