I finished the book Left to Tell last night. It is the story of Immaculee Ilibagiza and what she experienced as a Tutsi woman during the Rwandan Holocaust. I could hardly put the book down…
Several moments in her story gripped me, but there is one part of her novel that was a clear reminder of a heart that is focused on being grateful…
Immaculee and seven other women hid in a small bathroom in a Hutu’s home for 91 days. The night after they were released to the French army for protection, Immaculee and the others slept outside on the ground. The French soldiers were apologetic because there was no room for them inside, but she did not care. She said that she could sleep under the stars, the Face of her Father God! She was grateful for the crackers and small food items they were fed. Grateful for being able to wash her clothes. She was grateful for LIFE!!!
Her faith, her absolute trust in God’s protection and love for her kept her focused on her future, in a day where there seemed to be none. Her love for God did not diminish went nearly all of her immediate family were brutally slaughtered.
In a country of Happy Meals and fast internet service… with generations of people who are used to having what they want when they want it…
I wonder…
…are we grateful? or just used to having the world as our oyster…
thoughtfully…
Deb