“Endurance brings God's approval, and His approval creates
hope." ~ Romans 5:4
After a serious car accident put Jamey
in the hospital, his anger fumed at the way his life was turning out. The doctors repaired the major body damages (fractured
fibula and tibia; ruptured spleen, and a spinal compression fracture). He’d walk again – but probably not without a
noticeable limp. Quite a blow to the
school’s star lacrosse captain and leading scorer.
Truly sorry for himself, Jamey demanded that his door
remained closed to all visitors. That
all changed when he awoke one morning in a particularly foul mood. As he pushed the button to call the nurse, Jamey
noticed a little boy in the hallway. Fresh
bandages protected the burns that covered much of his body. He clutched a scruffy bear tightly to his
chest.
As Jamey silently cursed the nurses for leaving his door
open, the small boy beamed a playful grin.
Without warning, he slipped into Jamey’s room uninvited.
“Hi, I’m Connor!” he announced as his smile broadened. “And this here is Teddy.”
Teddy wasn’t much to look at. He was missing an eye and its light brown fur
was severely charred, probably a victim of the same fire that wounded Connor. Jamey laid there waiting to hear what the boy
wanted.
“Teddy’s still sick. He
needs to stay in the hospital. Could you
keep him here till he gets better?" Connor asked.
Jamey reached out and took the burnt bear, promising to
nurse Teddy back to health and keep him from harm forever.
Just then the little boy's mother called him. He looked back at Jamey and said, "Bye
mister, bye Teddy" and ran out of the room. His mother smiled down at him
and the nurse wheeled him away.
Jamey hugged Teddy for the longest time. The nurse responding to his earlier call entered
just in time to catch the tears rolling down Jamey’s cheeks.
“Cute kid,” he told the nurse trying to recapture his mojo.
“Connor was 7 when he turned into a “fireball” by an
explosion in the family’s outdoor barbeque grill,” the nurse offered. “He came here by helicopter about 15 months
ago, having suffered third-degree burns over 87 percent of his body. We gave him less than 1 percent chance of
surviving. He and Teddy have been an
inspiration to us all.”
The smile that had seemed to abandon Jamey’s face returned
with the brilliance of a summer sunrise.
Teddy had a new home, and Connor would live forever in Jamey’s heart. His gift could never be repaid . . . only
paid forward.
When we stop to appreciate the good things in our lives, it
leads to a sense of well-being. No
matter our struggles, there’s always someone in the world who struggles harder
. . . and better.
Loving Father, You grow and stretch our
maturity through circumstances that don’t always reflect our choosing. Help us to be patient as we search Your
Scripture and seek to understand Your plan as it unfolds in our lives. Amen
