On Friday along with others I started volunteering at a hospital with children effected by cerebral palsy for the next month. If you are unclear about cerebral palsy it is a brain malformation which affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. It can also impact fine motor skills, gross motor skills and oral motor functioning. I was not sure exactly what to expect, what I would be doing, or how I would be able to handle these children in this condition. I was nervous about my ability to love these kids no different than others. I was nervous I wouldnt have the strength to look these children in the eyes with a genuine smile. And I was nervous this would be just too emotional for my judgmental heart. As I walked through the halls getting closer to the CP section I was praying that I could love these kids like Jesus would.
The Lord answered my prayers. As one of my teammates had just reminded me that the Lord WILL answer our prayers if it is in His will. We can pray big with full expectation that he will provide and hear our cry. He heard me on Friday.
I walked through the gate with full confidence in Him. I was able to see these kids through the eyes of Jesus. Their worth. Their beauty. Their value. Fearfully and wonderfully made indeed! The outlook and value that the world has on these “disabled” children was taken out of my mind by the grace of God and for the next four hours I was a servant of God to these children displaying His love and glory.
I immediately started to feed one of the little boys named Juanito. He is four years old but from the lack of development he looks like an eight month old baby. I held this tiny stiff human in my arms and struggled to get him to drink his bottle for about an hour. I can’t think of a better way to spend a morning. There are probably over 50 patients that all have a story, a background. Some were abandoned by their parents, some have families that are too poor to meet their needs, some have parents that come see them twice a week, and others have a far more saddening story. One of the beautiful little girls (whose name I can’t spell) was left by her mother in a dumpster as a baby. She has scars along her face from where rats were eating at her until she was rescued. By the grace of God she is now safe and I get to be a part of her journey this next month. I can now say with a pure heart I see people, including myself, through the eyes of Jesus. Forget what the world has to say. What the world may label deficiencies are the Kingdom’s efficiencies. A glimpse into their life is all I can provide, but the Lord will provide the rest.
I pray for peace among their hearts.
I pray for the strong workers that are there all day every day taking on the care of these children.
I pray that three times a week for the next month the Lord can use me to love these kids to the best of my ability.
