Week 52: The Little Girl Who Found Joy Again

In a gathering of children, a simple but deeply revealing question was asked:
“Who here has been abandoned by their father?”

Among the children, one small girl stood up.
She was only six years old.
Her name was Daphrose.

Tears streamed down her face as she began to speak.
“My dad abandoned us and disappeared,” she said.
“He doesn’t love us. He left with his suitcase. When I held onto him to go with him, he kicked me and left.
I don’t love him anymore.”
The pain in her young heart was unmistakable.

As she shared more of her story, the weight she carried became even clearer.
She still went to school—but only because her mother worked tirelessly.

“My mother is poor,” Daphrose explained.
“She washes clothes for people and braids hair so we can eat and pay for school.”
Her life was marked by struggle, rejection, and fear.

When asked if she would like a new husband for her mother, she quickly refused.
“No,” she said, holding tightly.
“A new husband might also make us suffer and abandon us like my father.”

Then came a difficult question:
“Can you bless your father?”
Her answer was immediate.
“No. He doesn’t love me.”
“Do you want him to die?”
“No.”

Something in her heart, though wounded, was still alive.
At that moment, she was gently held and spoken to with truth and love.

She was told how deeply God loved her.
She was reminded that, despite everything, her father also loves her.

Then she was told something powerful:
“You have powerful words. You can bless your father. And as you do, you will see him 
change—becoming a different man, full of love and kindness.
Bless your mother as well, and God will improve her situation.”

Then a blessing was spoken over her:
“I bless you. I love you like a father. I ask forgiveness for your father’s faults and for his 
abandonment.

I ask for the love he did not give you or express to you.
I love you. God loves you abundantly. You are a beautiful little girl. Everyone can see it.”
At that moment, something shifted.

Tears filled the entire room.
Then each child stood and blessed Daphrose and her father.
The little girl who had stood in pain began to change.
Her face lifted.
And a new joy appeared.

Reflection:
Are your words helping others to stand tall?