A friend of mine serving in Africa wrote to me about a delightful patient—one the staff nicknamed Rocky because she had the determined spirit of the film boxer.
Rocky was a six-year-old Senegalese with extreme “knock knees” that made walking challenging. After surgery, she was six weeks in plaster casts. Finally, the day arrived for her to learn to walk on two straight legs. She slid from her bed and grasped the walker. Her physical therapist held her gown from behind should she start to fall, but she whirled around and barked in Wolof, “Let go!” All the translators laughed joyfully at her courageous enthusiasm.
Soon, Rocky eagerly visited the other children in the ward, urging them to get up and walk with her. She became a regular sight, marching down the hospital’s corridors with a parade of children’s walkers behind—the mother duck commanding them not to be scared but to walk with one foot following the other.
This story called me to rise and step out in faith, knowing my victory can draw others to Christ’s healing and fellowship. It came at a time when I had stalled, not confident enough to step forward in God’s call to write encouragement for others.
We, too, can follow the footsteps of a little six-year-old child, for Jesus calls us to have the faith of children to follow the course He calls us to.
What will it take for you to have faith like a child?
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Kim Robinson is a former schoolteacher who has taught in rural and central Oregon, Alaska, and with Mercy Ships in Africa. She currently lives in Salem, Oregon, where she is delighted to serve the Lord as a mom, grandma, writer, copy editor, and encourager of others.