Empty ground, nothing left

A boy in an ambulance, a boy on the beach

Who dares to dream any more?

The lonely, the broken, the hopeless

A mother lost by chance – wrong place, wrong time

Unbreakable silence of rock and stone

Somehow you’re blessed – kingdom comfort

And a child is welcomed, a family known

Grass springs up from broken soil

Undemanding, unnoticed, underfoot

But strong, resilient, green with life –

As a child’s laughter breaks through

You’re hungry and thirsty for things to be different

Each child safe, each child known

You take them by the hand and show them grace

Grace that fills you and flows through you

And as you turn your face towards the sky

Mercy falls and makes things new

As you make things new for the child who had no one

You are her someone

Pure heart – you shine with a light you know now

more intimately in this darkness

Light that fills you and each space you move in

And the space you’ve created for the child who was lost

And suddenly in this ‘hopeless’ place

Beauty springs up, unexpected, unasked for

Blessed are the peacemakers, heralding the birth of something new

You who welcome children – the children of God.

 

Illustrations created with Syrian caregivers working with children in conflict-affected areas of Syria