Sometimes kids say the most amazing things! And I should add, honest things, too. Like little five-year-old Sarah.
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and Sarah is the daughter of Delinda, a friend of mine who lives in Arizona. Anyway, Delinda told me that she had taken her little Sarah to the hospital to pick up her daddy after his shoulder surgery. While they were waiting in the hospital near the recovery room, an older woman was being wheeled down the hallway on a gurney. She was a little uncovered, and it was noticeable that she had a big bandage around her chest; Delinda could tell this woman had just had a mastectomy. Sarah, being the friendly girl that she is, greeted the woman in her outgoing way, and the lady, obviously out of surgery for breast cancer, was friendly right back. She even told Sarah her name: “I'm Miss Sharon,” she said. At that point, Sarah naturally asked her, "Well, what part of your body did you have worked on?" Delinda hoped that Sharon didn't see the shock on her face!
But the lady seemed to handle the question just fine and replied to Sarah, "I’ve had breast cancer." And that’s when Delinda offered up that they knew someone who also went through surgery for breast cancer. Little Sarah looked at her mother with immediate recognition in her eyes, and piped up, "Miss Joni had breast cancer.” (I can’t believe this 5-year-old would remember the fact that I battled cancer; but Delinda reminded me that Sarah had prayed when I went through surgery). Well, all of this sparked a pleasant conversation and Delinda assured Miss Sharon that she and Sarah would pray for her, just like they did for Miss Joni. Delinda proceeded to finish the paperwork for her husband’s release from the hospital, but as she did, something out of the corner caught her eye and intrigued her. She saw Sarah sitting on a chair on the other side of the room with her eyes closed and her hands folded. Delinda could see her daughter’s lips moving. Sarah was praying for Miss Sharon.
When Delinda shared this with me, it so touched my heart. I mean, there are many good things that can come from one’s battle against breast cancer, but I never realized that my experience with cancer would create such an awareness in the children of my friends! I know that Delinda’s family lifted me up in prayer when I was going through chemotherapy and obviously, it gave this 5-year-old child a picture of reality that she could apply to her new friend in the hospital. Delinda added that before they all left the hospital, Sarah went over to Miss Sharon’s curtained cubicle, and she leaned in and gave her a big hug.
Don’t you just love it when a child shows no fear about things like cancer or a wheelchair or a hospital? Proverbs 25 tells us that words aptly spoken are like apples of gold. And I have some golden words today for you if you’re in a situation like Sharon’s, recovering from surgery, or dealing with an illness or a bad medical report. It’s a little booklet that I wrote about dealing with cancer — just the sort of thing Delinda would have given Miss Sharon that day in the hospital. Well, you may have a hurting friend like her, a neighbor or a co-worker who is going through cancer and that person is in need of encouragement; this booklet would be the perfect gift to give, I’m convinced. You can get your free copy just by visiting my radio page today at joniandfriends.org. And thank you for helping your child or grandchild cultivate a heart of Christ-like compassion by encouraging them to pray for people with special needs.
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PO Box 3333 Agoura Hills, CA 91376