Young women from the States came to Shadow as interns to help for periods of a month or more. Many times they were lifesavers, as they pitched in to help with the always growing to-do list. One evening, while resting in the downstairs apartment, I received a frantic call from one of them. “You need to get up here, please,” cried Jennifer*. She had caught Linda* going up the stairs with a knife.

Those words brought fear into my heart. These children came from backgrounds where they saw many retaliations with machetes. People were maimed or killed in actions of anger. I ran up the stairs to the main house, just as Linda came down, sobbing so hard she had to hang onto the rail to keep from falling. She hyperventilated all the way down to the apartment. “Take deep breaths, Linda. Do it again,” I encouraged. She finally calmed down and breathed normally.

“Please tell me what happened and why you had the knife. Remember how important it is to be honest.”

Linda sighed and responded, “I needed some cotton to remove the fingernail polish from my nails, and when I asked the other girls, they didn’t have any. So I thought I could cut the end of my pillow, and there would be some cotton inside for me to use.”

I wanted to grab and hug her with all the relief I felt. How many times had I judged the actions of people and missed what really happened? This resourceful girl had a need and saw a way to meet that need. I wanted to laugh out loud, but I needed to keep my serious composure because of the involvement of a knife. That needed to be addressed.

Linda taught me a valuable lesson. I needed to take the time to listen to what these children were saying and not assume something by what I saw. I wanted to apply this to my daily life, and I added it to my prayers. Linda could have been in all kinds of trouble. Lord, please let me see things through Your eyes. My eyes have scratched lenses, and I don’t see things clearly. I must confess that sometimes I react too quickly, but I am learning to be a listener. What a difference this world would be if we saw things through God’s eyes.

*Names have been changed.