Be Brave

Steve Wiens on his blog http://www.stevewiens.com/ posted a cool video Children's Hospital made about their patients, singing and dancing with the kids a song about being brave.  It reminded me of the one time I was a patient there.

My case was not so dire.  I can't breathe through my nose, so the doctors there decided to stick a tube up in there for a month and then take it out in the hopes of creating an airway.  Needless to say it didn't work.   But what did happen was more eventful than this surgery.

For some unexplainable reason I was placed in the heart ward.  My roommates were three other girls with heart disorders that required surgery.  One teenager had blue lips because she wasn't getting enough oxygen.  During the night, I heard her crying, so I went to her and talked with her.  I remember how scared she was, afraid she might die on the table. She wanted to have a regular life, to go to her high school prom.  I listened and tried to encourage her with my naïve words.

The next day after I recovered from my surgery, I noticed her and her things were not there.  I asked but no one seemed to know, or they didn't want to tell me.  Even now I think of her and tears come to my eyes.

I can only hope I was some sort of help for her.  I know I prayed a lot for her.  It saddened me, still does, that there are so many children in hospitals suffering,  just wanting to have a regular life, be a regular kid. 

I wish I could take away all their pain.  I wish that children didn't have to suffer in this way.  I don't know why and I suppose I won't know this side of eternity.  We can say all kinds of pithy things in the hopes of silencing the pain, but in the end, life is hard.  Sometimes it sucks.  A lot. 

God never promised to ease the pain.  In fact, He said that in this world you will have suffering.  But He also said He has overcome this world.  He is bigger that all of us, all the universe.  He is bigger than the terrorists.  He is bigger than disease.  He is bigger than me.