Sunday, October 5, 2014

Keeping Hope Alive

My daughter Lelia gave this "sermon" at church about Hope. The congregation gave her a standing ovation at its conclusion and there were a few sniffles as people were very moved by what she had to say. I apologize for posting something personal on a Wargame blog, but I wanted to share it with everyone:

*****************************
In my life the word "hope" has been a major feeling. Since I have CP (cerebral palsy) it is sometimes hard to keep hope alive. Why? It's hard to keep that four-letter word alive because of all that I have been through. I've been operated on, bullied, and have fallen down a great number of times.

My struggles began right from the moment I was born. When I was born, two months early, I was whisked away from my parents. This happened because, since I was born prematurely, I couldn't go home with my parents for a while.

I was diagnosed with CP at 18 months, and from then on, the "real" race for hope began.

I began life a little differently for a baby. I did not sit up when I was supposed to, or walk when I was supposed to. This made my parents very desperate, and probably they were thinking, "why us? why does God give us a beautiful child and then He makes her 'different' "?

But my parents did not have to be in this state for very long, because then the miracles started.

The first miracle was when I sat up and rolled over at eighteen months. The second miracle was when I began to talk at three years old. And the third miracle was when I walked at four years. Those huge miracles in my life gave my family hope, but there was still a long hard struggle ahead for my family and I.

As I got older, things took a turn for the worse. Where I used to go to school -- oh, don't get me started -- it was not pretty.

At my school, I was bullied for my disability. For example, there was this one boy who wouldn't stop bullying me. He pushed me into a chain link fence, yelled at me, and pushed me to the ground. It seemed like there was no Hope then.

Aside from being bullied, I had other struggles to deal with. Those struggles were my surgeries. My first surgery was on my left eye; my second surgery was to remove a cyst; my third surgery was to remove another cyst; my fourth surgery was for my back; and my fifth surgery was for my legs.

I felt very scared when I had to have my surgeries, and I also felt a little angry. Why did I have to have surgeries? Why couldn't God pick someone else instead of me? It didn't seem fair that I had to be so young and have so many surgeries. It was also unfair that, while everyone else was doing their own thing, I had to lie down on an operating table.

The fear pushed me into having a deeper relationship with God. My parents and friends could comfort me only so much, I had to reach out for something larger. This is where my real faith began, especially with the leg surgery. I had to find a faith that would work for me, and I did; I talked with God out loud, and I asked Him for His help, and I did get His help.

And God helped our family by sending His love, mercy, compassion, and presence to us. God showed us all those things by never leaving our family's side for one second. Also, the fact that God was "there" with my family helped us have hope.

In conclusion, since God was there to help my family keep hope alive, our family has grown stronger in our faith. Sometimes it is hard to trust God, but we know that God will follow through to,His promises for us; He will never let us down.

Also, not only did God help keep hope alive, He taught each member of my family something. For Mom, God taught her to hold things together, be patient, and when there is a problem, to let God take it and fix it. For Dad, God taught him the same things that He taught Mom. And for me, not only did God teach me what he taught my parents, but He also taught me to forgive everyone who bullied me.

So with all that my family and I have gone through, I can truly say that we now know how to keep hope alive. If it weren't for God and all that I have been through, my family and I would probably not know how to keep,hope alive.

Today my life is amazing. I'm a sophomore at a wonderful school where I'm in student council and in plays. I volunteer at a soup kitchen in Waukegan, and at PADS. I have tons of friends and excel at academics, except for math.

But most importantly, I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for all He has done for me.

************************************


28 comments:

  1. Nothing to apologize at all. You can be very proud to have such a daughter. Nihil Sine Deo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, Jim. She is an amazing young woman. No doubt about it. And Lelia's sermon really puts things in their proper perspective too. You are very fortunate to have a child like her.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

    ReplyDelete
  3. You have a Daughter all Fathers would be proud to call their own. Thanks for sharing her with us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Touching, very touching. After reading that speech, not difficult at all to imagine seeing tears in the crowd.

    You have a strong and resilient daughter of which to be very proud.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Our children are our wonders and Jim it seems to me that you have a wonderful daughter you can be extremely proud of.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank for sharing a wonderful story. I suffer from a kidney disease, and it pales in comparison, but I was also bullied as a child as I need to drink large amounts of water, and I was weak. I couldn't and wasn't interested in sports, so this singled me out.
    So nice to hear a good story. Good on ya, you go girl!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations, Jim! You have a daughter that would make any father very proud. I'm glad you shared it with us.
    Regards, Tom

    ReplyDelete
  8. Many, many thanks for sharing this with us. It reminds me that my hope for this younger generation is not misplaced. God bless her for expressing these sentiments and you for sharing this with us.
    All the best,
    Jerry

    ReplyDelete
  9. As a father of a type 1 diabetic 15 year old girl, your post brought a few tears to my eyes. I can't imagine the struggles your family has faced. You must be a proud father! I can't wait to give my daughter a hug. Thanks for the post

    Pat.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for sharing, sounds like you've got a really great daughter!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dear Lelia,
    I'm very glad your Father posted your sermon today. Congratulations for your courage, deep insightfulness and faith. God Bless you, Dad and Mom!
    Warmest Regards,
    Bill

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, I can see why the congregation gave Lelia a standing ovation. No need to apologise at all Jim, thank you for making her inspirational talk available to read.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jim,I always that you were very special so it's not a surprise you produced a very special daughter. Best regards, Bill

    ReplyDelete
  14. Well done Lelia, splendid sentiments expressed so well.
    Jim you must be so proud.
    best wishes
    Alan

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bravo!

    Life isn't all about gaming, it includes a lot about family. I applaud your posting, and your daughter's HOPE.

    Tomo

    ReplyDelete
  16. A great daughter and a great God. Her words remind me of Christ's response to his followers when they asked him whether the cripple or his parents had sinned. Christ's response was neither, but that these things were done that God might be glorified. By virtue of of the beauty of your daughter's courageous spirit and your courage for posting that, God is glorified. Children rarely develop that mature of a fait if their parents have not been exemplors.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wonderfully inspiring, Jim. Many thanks for sharing, and best wishes to you all. Cheers, Rohan.

    ReplyDelete
  18. This is beautiful - thanks for sharing, and kudos to your daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for sharing. A great lesson from a daughter, but also a great achievement for the parents.

    I hope all the best for you all.

    Fabrizio

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you for sharing Lelia's heart-stirring words. I congratulate you for raising such a strong young lady. More importantly, my thanks to her for reminding us where hope can always be found.

    ReplyDelete
  21. To get up in front of a room of people and make a speech as moving as that takes real character. You must be incredibly proud of your daughter, Fritz (and rightfully so!).

    ReplyDelete
  22. Very touching. What a brave and inspiring person. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  23. God bless you all. What an amazing young girl and a fabulous family

    ReplyDelete
  24. I was looking for something for a Xmas wish and then I read your daughter's story makes me appreciate Hope and God a little more. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks for sharing this on your blog. Your daughter's words really touched me.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thanks for sharing Jim! We should all take Lelia's wisdom to heart.

    God Bless your whole family.

    Todd

    ReplyDelete