Wewe ni wangu

"Betty, she said I'm hers!" Kanje giggled and hid her beaming face in my chest after shouting the news in Swahili to her friend.  I was practicing my Swahili, but meant every word:  "Wewe ni bebe wangu!" ("You are my baby!")  If I could bring this girl home with me next week, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Kanje can be a mystery to me at times.  Some days, I'll walk up to school and immediately hear her shout "Beth!" and come running the instant she sees me; other days, I seek her out and find her in a sullen mood, turning away with a "hmph!" if I try to talk to her.  Some days, she takes a swing at me if I try to hold her hand, and other days, she gets jealous if I let anyone but her sit in my lap.  But there is something about her that grabs my heart and won't let go, no matter where her mood swings take her.

Today was a good mood day, so Kanje sat on my lap, playing with me for a long time this afternoon.  She would hand me imaginary food, saying "Shika! Kula!" ("Take! Eat!").  Other phrases, too, which I've forgotten, meaning "close your eyes," usually followed by tiny fingers tickling my neck, and other things that I didn't understand, but laughed at on cue anyway.  Kanje helps me with my Swahili, I help her with her English, and we both come away feeling a little more loved than we did the day before.

I imagine God sees me in much the same way:  some days, I shout his name and run towards him with all my heart; other days, I feel God tapping on my shoulder, and I turn away.  Some days, I'm angry with God, and other days, I just want to spend the whole day sitting in his lap and talking with him.

But, no  matter where my mood swings take me, God will continue seeking me out.  There is something about me (and about you!) that grabs his heart and won't let go.  And he tells us, "Wewe ni toto wangu--you are my child."

My love is imperfect, but I hope Kanje sees that it is unconditional, and that it will help her to understand what it means when she learns that God's love is unconditional.  No matter how many times she turns from me, I'll still love her, and, no matter how many times she turns from him, God will still love her.  Maybe someday she'll be shouting the news to her friends:  "God said I'm his!"