(Friday, April 23, 2010) “My Young Inspiration”
Patra has had to assume another role in this journey. She is now my primary physical terrorist – I mean therapist – encourager. I need to gain strength and a key to achieving that is walking. We try to walk twice a day. The problem is that sometimes walking is not a priority for me. It requires a lot of effort and frankly, I would just as soon stay in the recliner. This requires Patra to use all of her skills – persuasion, begging, cajoling, bribery. I like bribery best. I recently negotiated an extra Oreo cookie (approximately 50 mg sodium) for completing a walk.
I plan to return to work in about a month. That is really exciting. I look at the calendar everyday and am motivated to get stronger by realizing that the day is approaching when I can go back to work. (I know that some of you are thinking that it is the drugs which have effected my thinking - "you want to go back to work?")
Wednesday night I went to Andrew’s T-ball game. Jenny arrived early and parked near the field Andrew was playing on. When we arrived, I sat in her car and watched the action. Although I felt like I was watching the game through binoculars, it was still great to see Andrew and his Countryside T-ball Rays.
At the T-ball game I also saw a young boy with leukemia who has been an inspiration to me and many others. He was there to watch his younger brother who plays on Andrew’s team. He is part of a wonderful family and his maternal grandparents are some of our best friends.
I remember the day we found out he had leukemia. My daughter Jenny is in the same life care group with his parents and her cell phone began to buzz with text messages. Very quickly, a prayer chain had formed and people were earnestly praying for the family.
His mother keeps a wonderfully written blog about his journey which is a fabulous testimony to the family’s recognition that the most important things in life are faith, family and friends. (It is no wonder then why the blog appeals so much to me.)
His courage and strength in dealing with his treatment were an inspiration to me as I later began to deal with my own “nasty little diseases.”
When I was in the hospital at Moffitt I would often pray for this young boy and a number of other people that were dealing with some serious health issues. But I confess that my prayers for this young one were a struggle. As I prayed, I found myself asking questions which I had successfully resolved for myself but because of his age, I was having difficulty accepting for him. Why? He is so young? He is too young.
I reasoned that because I was older I was better able to handle a journey like this. After all, I had studied the Bible for years, I had sat through more sermons, I had read more books, I had been involved in significant doctrinal discussions, I had ... yada yada yada.
One night, the verses from Luke where Jesus speaks to His disciples came to my mind.
Luke 18:16-17 (NASV) But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all.
I may have been older, but with age also comes the life experiences which cause us to lose our simple, pure, childlike faith . As adults we may become hardened or cynical or skeptical or overanalyze. We may question the goodness of God. Far too often, we think that we know more ... even more than God.
I realized how much God loved this young one and I realized how his simple, pure faith would serve him very well as he fought his battle.
My prayer struggle ceased. I had been inspired and taught.
When I saw him Wednesday night playing at the ball fields, I could see for myself the purity and innocence. I bet he doesn’t have to be bribed to exercise. His parents probably have the opposite problem – getting him to rest when he needs to. He has a great smile. I’m going to smile more – I practiced today in front of the mirror and I think it makes my hair look longer.
I wonder how God will use him and his family in the years to come.
His grandparents told me that they were praying for me. A little part of me wanted to tell them that they were relieved from praying for me – they could spend all of their time and effort praying for him – I would understand. But a bigger part of me is incredibly thankful for their prayers. I know that their prayers, like my own, have been shaped by what we are going through. I know that their prayers have an intensity because of the love they have for their grandson and an understanding of how his illness has impacted him and them. I am now a beneficiary of their focused and intense prayers.
I want my own prayers to be more focused, more intense.
Young friend, as Paul told Timothy, don’t let anyone minimize the impact you have because of how young you are. You have been an inspiration to this old man and you have also been used to teach this old man some great truths about how much God loves us both.
1 Timothy 4:12 (NASV) Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Bob
Patra has had to assume another role in this journey. She is now my primary physical terrorist – I mean therapist – encourager. I need to gain strength and a key to achieving that is walking. We try to walk twice a day. The problem is that sometimes walking is not a priority for me. It requires a lot of effort and frankly, I would just as soon stay in the recliner. This requires Patra to use all of her skills – persuasion, begging, cajoling, bribery. I like bribery best. I recently negotiated an extra Oreo cookie (approximately 50 mg sodium) for completing a walk.
I plan to return to work in about a month. That is really exciting. I look at the calendar everyday and am motivated to get stronger by realizing that the day is approaching when I can go back to work. (I know that some of you are thinking that it is the drugs which have effected my thinking - "you want to go back to work?")
Wednesday night I went to Andrew’s T-ball game. Jenny arrived early and parked near the field Andrew was playing on. When we arrived, I sat in her car and watched the action. Although I felt like I was watching the game through binoculars, it was still great to see Andrew and his Countryside T-ball Rays.
At the T-ball game I also saw a young boy with leukemia who has been an inspiration to me and many others. He was there to watch his younger brother who plays on Andrew’s team. He is part of a wonderful family and his maternal grandparents are some of our best friends.
I remember the day we found out he had leukemia. My daughter Jenny is in the same life care group with his parents and her cell phone began to buzz with text messages. Very quickly, a prayer chain had formed and people were earnestly praying for the family.
His mother keeps a wonderfully written blog about his journey which is a fabulous testimony to the family’s recognition that the most important things in life are faith, family and friends. (It is no wonder then why the blog appeals so much to me.)
His courage and strength in dealing with his treatment were an inspiration to me as I later began to deal with my own “nasty little diseases.”
When I was in the hospital at Moffitt I would often pray for this young boy and a number of other people that were dealing with some serious health issues. But I confess that my prayers for this young one were a struggle. As I prayed, I found myself asking questions which I had successfully resolved for myself but because of his age, I was having difficulty accepting for him. Why? He is so young? He is too young.
I reasoned that because I was older I was better able to handle a journey like this. After all, I had studied the Bible for years, I had sat through more sermons, I had read more books, I had been involved in significant doctrinal discussions, I had ... yada yada yada.
One night, the verses from Luke where Jesus speaks to His disciples came to my mind.
Luke 18:16-17 (NASV) But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all.
I may have been older, but with age also comes the life experiences which cause us to lose our simple, pure, childlike faith . As adults we may become hardened or cynical or skeptical or overanalyze. We may question the goodness of God. Far too often, we think that we know more ... even more than God.
I realized how much God loved this young one and I realized how his simple, pure faith would serve him very well as he fought his battle.
My prayer struggle ceased. I had been inspired and taught.
When I saw him Wednesday night playing at the ball fields, I could see for myself the purity and innocence. I bet he doesn’t have to be bribed to exercise. His parents probably have the opposite problem – getting him to rest when he needs to. He has a great smile. I’m going to smile more – I practiced today in front of the mirror and I think it makes my hair look longer.
I wonder how God will use him and his family in the years to come.
His grandparents told me that they were praying for me. A little part of me wanted to tell them that they were relieved from praying for me – they could spend all of their time and effort praying for him – I would understand. But a bigger part of me is incredibly thankful for their prayers. I know that their prayers, like my own, have been shaped by what we are going through. I know that their prayers have an intensity because of the love they have for their grandson and an understanding of how his illness has impacted him and them. I am now a beneficiary of their focused and intense prayers.
I want my own prayers to be more focused, more intense.
Young friend, as Paul told Timothy, don’t let anyone minimize the impact you have because of how young you are. You have been an inspiration to this old man and you have also been used to teach this old man some great truths about how much God loves us both.
1 Timothy 4:12 (NASV) Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Bob
Comments
Ted & Carol W
We have been looking forward to hearing from you this week. You really give us a lot to think about and reflect upon.
We know that you are going back to work. You are needed to mediate those situations that are scheduled for you. So keep us posted as you again begin the process of mediation.
I don't think I can stop at one oreo. Maybe even two wouldn't be too bad. Do you think??
Patra, dear, you are a real jewel!! You are so talented in so many areas. Now we have learned of another one of those areas.
Glad that you guys saw Andrew swing that bat. We can identify. We saw Stephen get a triple on Thursday pm as his team experienced seeing the other team make no runs. I did feel a bit sorry for the other team. Before the game ended, I had my fingers crossed that maybe they would get just one little run.
Keep those walks going. As we walk each day, we will visualize you both walking those same blocks that we walked all of those years before we even knew you.
Praising and Praying,
Loving you both,
Lex and Linda
Just want to let you know that I am keeping up with with guys. Bob, you are still making me laugh. I am so glad you will be going back to work soon...maybe that means we can see you when we are in Clearwater. And BTW, smiling does make ones hair look longer.
Love to you both,
Charlotte
It was a tremendous blessing to visit with you and Patra last week! God is working His ministry through your lives and it is encouraging to see how He shows that He has lots of work for you still to do! God has blessed you with a great helpmate and all of us who have them are more thankful today, totally realizing that we could not get very far without them. Patra is an inspiration to all of us as well as your faithfulness in showing us the human side of St. Bob! We are really looking forward to your visit to CBS in a couple of weeks. That will be such an encouragement to all the men you have faithfully discipled over the years. See you soon! Pat and Rea