Layla*

Most people would consider her a statistic.

HIV positive.

Her mother died during childbirth.

Doubly orphaned.

Born deep in a rural village in Zambia. 

Being raised by her grandmother.

Statistics do not factor in her pain. Hurt. Rejection. Loss. Fear. Mistrust.

Her inability to smile and dance with other girls her age.

Her eyes haunt me. They hold too much pain and sorrow and sickness. My heart is shattered.

She is not just a four-year-old girl.

She is so much more.

Created in the image of God.

Created perfectly.

Loved by a Heavenly Father.

Known by name to the Master of the universe.

A beautiful name in fact.

Layla.

'Continue to break my heart for what breaks Your's. Thank you Father for this precious life.'

*Her name is changed for her privacy reasons. She does have an incredibly beautiful name still :)

-heather