I remember when that super cute little boy rolled up to me in his blue chair and introduced himself. I knew that I had to spend time with this guy. After touring the different houses at Sarahs covenant homes, team Liora and team Shekinah glory sat down to decide who would be where and when during this month of ministry. We also decided who would do one on ones with which kid, and I claimed that little dude right away. It was a great decision.
After lunch break I would head to Courage home, where they housed the younger boys and girls, and he and I would spend time together. He’s a super smart 6 year old that speaks Hindi, Telegu, and English. I would normally show up as he would be finishing his homework. This little bro of mine has spina bifida, and when he was younger a surgery to help with it went wrong, and he was paralyzed from the waste down. Little boys should be able to run and play, but he can’t. That makes me sad, but it doesn’t make him sad. This doesn’t steal his joy. His smile lights up the place and every face that sees it.
We started our time almost everyday jumping on the trampoline. He would Always say ” I wanna jump.” So I’d take him up in my arms and jump on the trampoline. We would talk about motorcycles and cars, usually the ones that drove by. He wants a yellow motorcycle. He would always count down before we started jumping. Sometimes I would jump when he said 1, sometimes I would pretend to fall asleep when he said 1. Either way, we both laughed and had a fun time. He would say “roof” or “moon” while we were jumping, and I would say “cool dude.” Then he would repeat back “cool dude” with a smile on his face. We’d head up stairs.With him in one arm and his chair in the other, I’d walk up the stairs, legs shaking from the trampoline, and arms aching from his weight and the weight of his chair, but I didn’t care.
He loved looking at the moon. I told him to aim for it, that he can do anything, that he is the child of a limitless God, who is calling him higher. I know he’s six, so that all could go over his head, but it’s truth, and it’s planting seeds. When you’re a man, you often hear people say that you’ll make a good dad. I heard that a lot as an older teen an even into my early twenties, but I never internalized it. When I carried him up and down the stairs, and heard him laughing, and saw the hope in his eyes, that’s when I knew I could be a dad. I could be a dad even if my son couldn’t walk. I could be a dad even if my daughter had special needs. I can be a dad. This boy changed my heart forever on growing up and loving and parenting. God’s fatherly love kept shining through this little man to me.
We would do physical exercise together to build up his upper body strength. He would do dips, push-ups, and pull-ups . I would get down on the floor with him to cheer him on. We’d make funny faces and imitate animals. I would bark like a dog and then he would. I would meow like a cat and then he would. I acted like a lion, and my hair fell in my face and my beard was long and he would giggle and scoot away. This was a workout for him as well as me, he moved fast so he could get away from the big scary lion, and then I would catch him, pretending like i was gonna eat him, and he would say “noooooo.” But he was laughing the whole time. Then he would be a lion, and chase me around the room.
Yesterday was my 27th birthday, and the foster mom at courage home sent me a video of him wishing me a happy birthday.
I love and miss my little lion man, and I pray that Gods love will overtake him. I pray God blesses him in every way in Jesus Christ. I pray he gets adopted. I pray that his wildest dreams grow and grow and that he commits those dreams to The Lord and that God blesses them.
