"leap like a deer"

I had to turn away and compose myself—I didn’t want him to see me like this. The day was supposed to be encouraging, not a downer. Wiping the tears away and giving myself a verbal pep talk, I turned and walked towards his bed, forcing a big smile.

I had finally worked up the nerve to introduce myself to the boy with no lower body.

He smiled back, not realizing my face was nothing more than a mask hiding a belly full of churning emotions. His smile changed to an ear-to-ear grin when I introduced him to the professional soccer player he had seen on TV.

With a sense of relief I let the two talk alone. After all, who wants to spend time talking to the guy who arranged this whole player appearance when you can actually talk with one of the stars of the team?

I still think about that boy from so many years ago lying in bed with nothing below his navel. How did he get that way? How in the world was he kept alive? And is he still living?

I’ll never forget that visit to Shriners Hospital for Children. Never.

But that’s a good thing. As hard as it was, it was good for me to see people with worse problems than my own. It gave me perspective, and still does. And it also gave me a good feeling—and still does—to know that our visit that day brought joy, however temporary, to those kids’ lives.

That memory also helps certain Bible verses come alive for me. When I read them, I can’t help but think about the boy with no lower body.

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”1

Think about it: A boy with only a rib cage, two arms and a head will someday “leap like a deer.” I can’t even write this without crying. It’s just too wonderful to imagine.

If he smiled when greeting a meaningless stranger like me, and if he smiled even bigger when seeing his favorite professional soccer player in the flesh, how big will he smile when he’s whole? How big will he smile when he can “leap like a deer”?

I think it’ll be ginormous.

So what about you? What health problem or disability are you struggling with?  What painful infirmity is weighing you down today?

Whatever it is, know this: Someday you’ll be whole again. Whatever’s broken will be fixed. And whatever hurts won’t hurt anymore.

That’s God’s wonderful gift to those who acknowledge Him and believe in His Son, Jesus.2

Are you smiling at the thought? So am I.

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”

1  Isaiah 35:5-6

2  John 3:16