The Land of Could Be

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV

Photo courtesy of pixabay. A trip to the grocery store isn’t so simple when we have to load a wheelchair and things like oxygen, medication, and syringes.

I’m often asked to sit with my disabled grandson, Wyatt, while his parents are involved in other activities. His being left behind often sends me to the Land of Could Be.

In the Land of Could Be, Wyatt is walking out the door with his parents with a smile on his face and big blue eyes bright with excitement. In the Land of Could Be, he runs out the school door and stops to play kickball with his friends. Could Be has endless possibilities for a seven-year-old. He could be reading a book to me or sitting up at the table eating supper. Instead, I place another spoonful of his pureed carrots and chicken into his mouth. He smiles around the spoon, and some of the mixture oozes out of his mouth and down his chin.

God has promised to work all of this for good according to His purposes. I confess sometimes the good is not readily apparent to me. What could be good about a little boy not being able to walk or talk? Who spends his days confined to a spot on a couch or in a wheelchair? My imaginary Land of Could Be seems so much better.

Then I remember the radiance of Wyatt’s smile and how he has engaged so many people just by the purity of that smile. I recall how we have drawn closer to God through prayer and how the outcome of those prayers led to Wyatt’s healing from pneumonia and multiple surgeries. In the most impossible way, a little boy who can’t speak manages to tell others about God by his mere presence on earth.

In our humanness, we want everything in life to measure up to what we see as good, but God’s definition of good forces us to look at things from His perspective. Serving a meal to a disabled child and holding his hand is what Jesus would have me do. I may not understand exactly why this happened to Wyatt, but I know the definition of love took on new meaning when we were called to take care of him. And that is good.

Trust God to bring good from what appears bad in your life.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

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Linda Truesdell

Linda Truesdell lives and writes from rural Missouri where she finds inspiration in everything from the fading sunlight slanting across her small acreage to the sight of sunflowers smiling from her garden. In 2010, her world was turned upside down when her second grandson was born barely alive, having suffered a rare intra-uterine stroke. Wyatt Christopher spent seven weeks in the NICU and was sent home with a grim prognosis that he would never talk or walk and would likely not live to see his first birthday. Today, he is six years old, attended kindergarten this year and has a smile that brightens the room. He still requires daily in-home nursing and therapy, and the challenges of taking care of him are many, but his indomitable spirit is a source of inspiration. When Linda first saw Wyatt lying in the NICU, she knew God had something special planned for him. She still believes that and collects her musings to and about Wyatt in a journal called, “Conversations with Wyatt.”

Comments
Comment

Darrell Waters
From Atmore, Al On 4/18/2018 5:53:40 PM

This devotional is EXTREMELY MOVING! I'm almost in tears sitting here reading this! I want to hug him so bad! It reminds me of a teenage boy who is in a similar situation. The boy I"m referring to is also a miracle to be alive and he's so sweet! Yes, God is so good. Thanks for sharing.
Darrell Waters
From Atmore, Al On 4/18/2018 5:53:40 PM

This devotional is EXTREMELY MOVING! I'm almost in tears sitting here reading this! I want to hug him so bad! It reminds me of a teenage boy who is in a similar situation. The boy I"m referring to is also a miracle to be alive and he's so sweet! Yes, God is so good. Thanks for sharing.

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