This is a devotional I recieved today. Thought it was kinda cool since this is what Sergey, Anthony, Cheri and Sergey struggle with. Plus the fact that Spud and I have been watching a little boy named Mason.
TITLE: Good for You
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 34:8-10
THE STORY FOR TODAY:
Mason was tired when he got home from the Children's Orthopedic Center where he was taking treatments for cerebral palsy-or CP as it's called. The disease affected his muscles and caused difficulty in walking and speaking. He sighed as he sat down in his favorite chair. "I don't see why I have to have this disease," he muttered.
Mom gave him a hug. "I don't know why, either, " she said, "but I do know that God allows only what's good for us. But come on-supper is ready. Let's eat."
"Good meal," Dad said as they ate. He turned to Mason. "You're not eating your vegetables, Son. You know they're good for you."
Mason made a face. "I don't like them," he said.
"You must eat what's on your plate," said Mom, "but you don't have to take any more."
"How did your therapy go today?" asked Dad.
"Okay, I guess," said Mason, "but those treatments hurt! When they stretch my legs and arms, they pull really hard. I can't see why I have to go so often. I'm not sure they're helping anyway."
"We don't see the results right away, but those exercises do help you," said Dad. "If you want those muscles of yours to grow stronger and healthier, you'll have to cooperate with the therapist each time you go."
Mason sighed. "I guess," he said, "but I wish God would just heal me when I ask Him to. Then I wouldn't have to worry about all those exercises."
Mom smiled sympathetically. "Vegetables are good for you even if you don't like them," she said. "Exercises are also good for you even though they hurt. And for some reason, which we can't understand, cerebral palsy must be good for you, too. We think it would be good for you to be healed, but so far, God has said no."
"The Bible says God's ways and thoughts are much higher than ours," added Dad. "Perhaps He has a special purpose for allowing CP in your life. Can you trust Him?"
Slowly, Mason nodded. "I'll try," he said.)
MEMORY VERSE:
No good thing will He (God) withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you have a special problem in your life? Perhaps it's a disease. Maybe it's difficulty with schoolwork. Perhaps it's something bad that happened in your family. Or maybe God isn't giving you something you really want. You may not understand why things you want aren't good for you or how other things can be good for anybody. If you're a Christian, trust God to do what is best. He promises that if something is good for you, it will happen. And He promises to give only what is good.
THE KEY: What God sends is good
~ "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." ~ Matthew 25:40 If not us, who will be like Jesus to the least of these?
Frank's Freedom
Meet Frank. He’s 13 years old, and is curious, busy, fun happy and bright. He has a mental delay, but that doesn’t stop him from being friendly, engaging and kind. He’s also an orphan in Eastern Europe. This means he is in an institution. If he is not adopted by age 16, he will be thrown out on the street with nothing but the clothes on his back and his “disabled orphan” status. Let me tell you more about Frank.
He’s little, about the size of a 7 year old. And he’s smart. He is in a group with teenage boys ages 16-24. He does puzzles and he does his chores diligently. He is very kind to the younger children. Frank is friendly and engaging. He likes being with the boys, but is happy being alone too. He plays appropriately with toys and is “all boy”. He could very easily function in a family. Frank is curious, smart, fun and sweet. He likes to play in the dirt and jump on the trampoline. Frank is independent, a good eater, is happy and content. Frank is physically healthy. He walks, runs, feeds himself, speaks, does puzzles and interacts with others well. He's a sweet boy who seems rather unaffected by his surroundings. He has no future where he's at, and without help, he's never getting out. Institutions are a one way ticket to nowhere. And this little boy deserves a future. This little boy will be a blessing to any family.
The Baker family has committed to adopt Frank and another boy, Emmitt. But international adoption is pretty expensive. The adoption would cost about $30,000. Reece’s Rainbow is an organization that helps with this cost. They set up grants for children in 25 countries around the world, and any money that is donated to these funds is given to the families to help with adoption fees. With Reece's Rainbow's help, the Baker family only needs about $10,000 to bring home both boys!
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