HIS Kids: A Smile the Dark Couldn't Steal

by Madison McCall

You Are Worth It, Founder

THEN

This week, at 4am, a sweet 6-year-old girl was brought into care. She came into the closet tired and scared with tears streaming down her face. Her little heart longed for her grandma, the only comfort that she knew. Throughout her visit in the closet, she was quiet and her eyes were filled with grief. As she picked out her new shoes, new toys, and a stuffed animal, there was a gentle shift in her. She got to the check-out counter and a tender smile replaced her tears- a small smile full of hope.

She is carrying burdens no child should ever have to, but even in the midst of her pain, Jesus met her there. She saw that she was worth loving, spending time with, and worth experiencing the joys of childhood. She was reminded her story does not end in brokenness, and that is the prayer over every child who walks through our doors. That they may leave knowing this deep truth: they are seen, treasured, and worth it because of the One who created them and calls them His children.

NOW

Just one month later, her foster mom walked into the closet. She was picking up items for another sweet foster child, and she shared something so precious with us- the testimony of transformation. She began to talk about that same sweet 6-year-old girl who came through her doors at 4am, scared and grieving, barely speaking a word. “She’s not the same little girl,” her foster mom told us with a smile on her face. “She laughs all day long. She never stops smiling. And talking? She talks from the moment she wakes up until she falls asleep.” She spoke, not just about change, but about renewal.

Within just a month, this little girl has come to life. Where there was once sorrow, there is now joy. Where fear once ruled, peace has taken root. And it's not because her circumstances are perfect, it’s because the presence of a faithful God is holding her every step of the way. Her foster mom shared how she’s starting to believe that she is truly loved. “It’s only by the grace of God,” her foster mom said. “Only by His faithfulness over her life.”

This is the hope we carry for every child who walks through our doors. That they would know they are not defined by what they’ve been through, but by the One who carries them through it. That they would leave here knowing they are seen, known, and dearly loved by the God who calls them His own. That sweet girl’s story is still being written, but this much is already clear, Jesus is near to the brokenhearted, and He is making all things new.