Big Faith in a Small Package

CBN.com -- Our five-year-old and otherwise “girly-girl” Kayla broke her right forearm when she fell from the monkey bars at school, her favorite activity. She had taken a similar fall the day before but walked away without injury. As I moved away, the ice pack that one of the after-school teachers placed on her teeny limb, my heart sank upon the sight of it bowed slightly inward.

The majority of the emergency room visit seemed a blur, with the exception of one crucial moment. The specialist explained that any kind of pain management for Kayla’s bone setting would take at least an hour to be effective; one possibility could not be used until the next day.

Not wishing to prolong the agony, my husband Rob and I solemnly agreed to proceed without anesthetics. Once the specialist completed her cast wrapping and before it was allowed to fully set, he had Rob hold her body close to the edge of the bed; He instructed the nurse to position her hand on Kayla’s elbow while he gently sandwiched her forearm with his hands.

He then said to her in a calm voice, “I’m sorry honey; I have to hurt you.” The specialist exerted pressure under the fractured area for the bones to line up as straight as possible while the cast hardened and took shape.

Both my husband and I watched our little one’s face instantly become wrought with intense pain and suffering. Those few seconds lasted an eternity to us all, I’m sure. However, in the midst of the purposely-induced but very necessary trauma, she held steady as best as she could, trusting in the specialist’s hands. Yes, she wailed and squirmed, but she did not completely lose control. Kayla demonstrated her amazing faith in that excruciating process toward her arm’s restoration.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV)

Of course, like most resilient kids, Kayla quickly returned to her playful and content self after the casting, a bathroom break, and a well-deserved box of crayons from her favorite orderly/nurse Josh. The “Fred Nightingale effect” had taken its humorous toll on her affections as she admitted to me that she found him cute. Girly-girls.

Before going to bed later that night, Kayla’s act of bravery, courage, but mostly faith during that dramatic event gave me serious pause to consider my own faith, which is shamefully a lot smaller than hers.

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed…nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20, NIV)

God used our precious gift of a doe-eyed child to encourage me that no matter how hard-pressed I may be, no matter how much I may cry out or struggle with my own flesh, I must gather even the tiniest mustard seed of faith I can grasp and let God take care of me. He may not always deliver me from my trials or grant me instant resolution for my problems. Instead, I remind myself that God will carry me through each day and will offer His strength when I have none. Let Him do the same for you.

Send Barbara your comments

More Devotions on CBN.com