So what is life really all about?

Around three years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Retoca, Honduras. Retoca is a small village way off the beaten path. The people are amazing and the children will steal your heart. One day as the group was walking around the cobble stone streets of the village, I notice I little girl that I hadn't notice in the past couple days. We had accumulated quite a following of little children, each one could take you to your knees simply by smiling. But this little girl was different. There was something special about her, something that drew me to her.
Now my Spanish is very broken but I did manage to bribe her friendship, with a puppet. Next thing I know, our group is off on a Honduran adventure to a nearby river to go swimming, but the greatest thing of all was as I walked down the streets this little girl ran up and grabbed my hand. We walked to the outskirts of the village and as we took the well beaten path through the golden fields of the country side, I noticed a very large amount of trash. Honduras is one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth but this little corner of it was the trash heap. As I walked hand in hand with my new found friend, she stopped walking. I looked back to see what was going on. She said something, that I didn't understand, as she was pointing at her foot. The bottom of her foot was covered with dirt except for a trail of blood which was leading to a small knick on the ball of her foot. Evidentially she was against walking through the trash heap with an open wound, I don't know why. I bent down and picked up this beautiful little girl.
She had on a faded pink shirt and her unwashed hair was put up in short pigtails. As I held her in my arms she put her arm around my neck and held on tight. There was a distinct smell coming from her to let me know that she had not been taught proper hygiene yet. This didn't concern me at all so l I began flying her around and swinging one way and then the other. It's times like this that God begins pricking your heart strings and telling you that something great is about to happen.
We walked about a mile to the river. The whole time the boys would run ahead and then run back, showing off by turning flips, the girls would skip along and play with each other. Just about the time the river came into sight, some of the boys ran over to me and began telling me something controversial. Now I didn't understand a word of it but I knew it was controversial because the little girl in my arms began swatting at the boys in protest. I began to chuckle thinking this was some harmless picking but then the boys began using their hands to let me know that my precious friend had used the bathroom in her pants. The little girl obviously embarrassed and the boys thinking very highly of themselves caught me in a very teachable moment. This lesson wasn't so much for my little friend or for these rambunctious boys but it was for a very unworthy child of God.
At that moment I was so overtaken by love for this little girl that I didn't care what she had done or what mess she had on her. I began to embrace her with all my heart. Still to this day I can feel her arm reaching around my neck and gently squeezing me back. She then turned to the boys and smiled as to say, I told you so. They then ran off to the river and jumped in but I was left back on the trail still holding a precious girl in my arms and knowing exactly what God was say to me. "I love you and it doesn't matter what you've done or how bad you think you are. I will hold you in my arms and I will stand up for you. No one will be able to touch you. Simply rest in Me." From that day on I've looked at life differently. "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 I'm so unworthy of anything good from God but that is what makes it grace. That's what makes it a gift.
I never learned that little girls name but she taught me more about life, love, and God than anyone else. Where ever she is and whatever she is doing, I pray that God would keep her and hold her. Lavishly pouring His love on her.
"Lord, may it be as to You!"