Author Dave Willis witnessed the life-changing power of love on a visit to an orphanage in Guatemala called Casa Shalom, which means “house of peace.” The privately run Christian orphanage serves about a hundred kids at a time in a place where most orphanages are government-run and fraught with corruption. Some of the children served by Casa Shalom have been sex-trafficked, exploited by the very people who should have been protecting them.
On his first visit there, Dave was introduced to a young Guatemalan girl named Margarita. Her story was heartbreaking. All of the kids’ stories are heartbreaking. Margarita had been terribly abused by her father. After being removed from her home and sent to live with her aunt and uncle, her uncle abused her in similarly unspeakable ways.
The pivotal moment of Dave’s visit came at twilight, as he sat on a hillside overlooking the Guatemalan landscape with Josh and Jessica Hanson, the couple who run Casa Shalom. As the three talked, Margarita broke away from a group of girls nearby, sat next to Josh, and put her head on his shoulder.
In Spanish, she said, “When I came here, I didn’t know what it meant to feel safe and didn’t know if love was even real. But now I know that God loves me, and I know that you love me.”
With tears in his eyes, Josh told Dave that Margarita was deeply broken when she first came into their care. She trusted no one. She barely spoke to anyone for weeks and months. Josh and Jessica did their best to love her and tried to make her feel safe in every way that they could. Now, here she was running up to a male authority figure hugging him, full of joy and life.
What a beautiful picture of God’s healing and redemption!
In Scripture, love is rooted in action, in selflessness, and in commitment. Jesus demonstrated true love to us by dying for us on the cross. And He calls us to show that kind of love to each other.
Dave Willis is joining me on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. We’re discussing what he calls “seven laws of love” that express how to put love into action with those around you. He says love:
- Requires commitment.
- Selflessly sacrifices.
- Speaks truth.
- Conquers fear.
- Offers grace and forgiveness.
- Brings healing.
- Lives forever.
When you love others as Jesus loves us, you can change your world! But where do you start? Find out on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, or on our free phone app.
Dave’s book The Seven Laws of Love: Essential Principles for Building Stronger Relationships is available for a gift of any amount. Give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459). Click here for more information.
