Esther: Maya

In middle school I became best-friends with a girl named Maya,

And I learned over time

That she was just like Esther and

Had a shaky start at life,

But to the outside world

She stayed positive, sweet, and hopeful.

Every one she connected with, fancied her.

She always wore a quiet confidence and grace

That explicated the strength of an undefeated child,

But it took a while to get the facts.

One day, A survey was put out and it asked

“If you had to leave your child with anyone in this class, who would you trust?”

Everyone favored Maya.

She was different, there was something intriguing behind her faint smile

Like

How could one possess the will to give so much love

When they never seen it in return?

 

She told me that she was adopted and

She’ got abused sometimes

And I’ve seen that she’s been

Under-appreciated  and

Damn near legally enslaved

Tallied as money collected from the state

 

From household to household, she was

Forced to take ridiculously cold showers

And finish unheated dinner plates, while living as a

Victim to neglect and

 

For some reason she never let those unpleasant experiences project

Or get the best of her, she remained in control of her emotions to the public

 

’ Not many people testified to her worth,

And at times no one seemed to be in her corner,

Even family tried to hold her back.

 

She was almost alone at some points,

Had it not been for God’s placing of people like me.

She continued to prevail, under the presence of blessings

Because people with her upbringing don’t typically make it out

And the ones that do, won’t talk about it.

 

Her story had been a mystery for years, until she developed the courage

To share it, to release herself of the pain, that she held caved in.

 

There is healing in the telling of her

Triumphant story

And she grew to understand that

God will allow her story to also touch the lives of people across the world.

 

We can view our misfortunes and victories as testaments of God

Or merely coincidental occurrences

But faith lead Maya away from the effects of her past and onto greater rewards.

 

There are still questions that she needs answered

And concerns that she needs addressed, but life won’t let her wait forever

She is playing the cards that she has been dealt and fighting to prove

That there is value,  in people who were brought up as she was.

 

She shows us that remaining humble, through trial

Often sets us up to be the vessel of untold blessings

If you take nothing from a story like hers, take this:

The situations that you endure during the course of your life,

May be tailor made to save the life of another person, be bold enough

To testify to the obstacles that you’ve overcome because you never know, who will be listening.