“God gave each of you special abilities; use them to help
each other." ~ 1 Peter 4:10
Ten year old Danny had reason to
be angry.
Five weeks ago he woke up fiery hot. A purple blotchy rash had started to appear
on his body. He remembered nothing of
the next few weeks, missing everything between Father’s Day and the 4th
of July. He woke again to a shocking
certainty.
Patiently, but efficiently, the doctor explained that Danny
had developed a very rare but serious bacterial infection known as Necrotizing Fasciitis
(Flesh-Eating Disease). The bacteria quickly
invaded his system causing life threatening damage to his lower extremities.
“To save your life,” the doctor stated matter-of-factly, “your
legs had to be removed. Otherwise son, you
surely would have died.”
Danny’s gaze fell upon two stumps heavily swathed in thick
bandages. His frustration cresting,
Danny snapped that he would have preferred to die than end up with no
legs. “I’m useless,” he snarled. “What’s the point in keeping me alive?”
Two weeks had passed since that painful realization; 14 days he’d spent refusing to leave his bed or any attempts at therapy.
His parents arranged a visit from Danny’s MLB baseball hero
in hopes it would brighten his spirits and encourage him to give rehab a try.
Danny was thrilled at meeting his idol.
The player told the boy, “I want you to get well; let them
teach you to walk again.”
Danny replied, “Miguel, if you’ll knock a home run for me today, I’ll learn to walk again.”
Danny replied, “Miguel, if you’ll knock a home run for me today, I’ll learn to walk again.”
Miguel promised. All
the way to the ballpark he felt a deep sense of obligation and even
apprehension that he’d not be able to deliver his promise that day.
He didn’t knock one out of the park that day. He crushed two.
Barely a season later, Miguel was diagnosed with colon
cancer and forced to retire as a player. But on that hot, muggy day he was showered
with kind words and numerous gifts.
Forty thousand fans, the governor, the mayor, and many other celebrities
paid their respects at the ballpark to one of America’s great heroes.
He accepted the gifts, shook hands with the dignitaries, and
waved to the crowd. Silence fell over
the stadium. Miguel took a deep breath. Just as he stepped to the mike, Danny, now eleven
years old, walked out of the dugout, dropped his crutches, and walked to home
plate to hug his hero.
Almost too choked up to speak, Miguel exclaimed: “Today I
consider myself the luckiest man on the planet.
I played the game I love for fans I adore. God made an investment in me with talents to encourage
others. Today, God gave me the blessing
of this young boy to inspire me. To my
Savior be the glory!”
Lord, there are so many of us that are hurting,
people who need Your love, souls who need Your encouragement. Help me use the gifts and talents you
invested in me to bless them. Amen
