Humble Yourselves

Susan is the reason why I memorized James 4:10. I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, nor did anyone else in the room. The extroverted 6-year-old sat in my lap for a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon, dancing as exuberantly as she could manage, and singing, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you high.” 

I adore Susan. She and her younger brother Josephat are Turkanan refugees to the Kipkaren slum. Their dad died and their mother turned to alcoholism when life became desperate. Susan owned a single article of clothing, a dress provided to her by the women at Redeemer Christian Church in Eldoret. She was often found wandering the area in the middle of the night without anyone to watch over her, looking for something to eat. 

Susan is a dancer. While Josephat the Dangerous (my nickname for him) climbed trees and careened down a hill on a worn tire, Susan smiled and danced while singing, “James 4:10. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you high.” Again and again she sang this verse. 

This child, humbled in the eyes of the world, sang with the joy and boldness of a precious child of God. 

Susan and Josephat are both sponsored now and have moved to the Tarakwa Children’s Village just outside of Eldoret. Reportedly they are thriving so much more than they were before. I imagine that Josephat the Dangerous still lives up to his nickname—and I bet that Susan still dances. 

These children are lifted high in the eyes of the Father. He treasures them and he has treasured them, even when the world has not.