THE MIRACLE OF UNCONDITIONAL, COMPASSIONATE LOVE!

Friends, in a world too often filled with bad news, the primary Mission of Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES, is in sharing the “Good News” that God has set sinners right with himself, by making it possible for everyone to enter into a personal relationship with Him through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ . This is a wonderful reality that we treasure and enjoy by trusting that it is true (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Today’s Message of Encouragement from Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES

(Stories of Real People, Real Events, Real Places) Is dedicated to providing Spiritual FOOD FOR THOUGHT

With the intent of HELPING Men and Women Find PEACE and HOPE!

(Ron Bainbridge Editor) (October 18th, 2019)

THE MIRACLE OF UNCONDITIONAL,

COMPASSIONATE

LOVE!

Friend, I believe that there are few more powerful uses of language than a story, because words, ideas and emotions so easily come to life in the rich confluence of mind, body, spirit, and heart that is a story. In fact, when you stop to think about what I have just stated, each of us tells stories repeatedly in our daily living! Most times they are factual, but they are always true revelations of who we are or wish to be. Aidan Chambers, the writer and academic, once stated that: “It is not our experiences that matter, but the stories we choose to tell of those experiences.”

In reality, each day is rich with experiences, which are the raw materials of stories. For instance, school life, family life, work life, books, newspapers, and television, all bring to us the whole spectrum of the human condition that is worthy of retelling in a story. Today, I’d like to share with you a remarkable true story that reminds us how compassionate love CAN PRODUCE MIRACLES.

Today, my story centres around a baby boy who was born blind and mentally impaired, and also had cerebral palsy. In fact, he was little more than a vegetable and didn’t respond to sound or touch. His parents had abandoned him. And the hospital didn’t know what to do with the child. Then someone mentioned May Lemke, a nurse who lived near to the hospital. She had already raised five children of her own. May was asked if she would take the infant, and was told “He’ll probably die young.” May responded to that suggestion by saying, “If I take the baby, he won’t die young, and I’ll be happy to have him!”

May named the baby Les, and it wasn’t easy to care for him. But everyday she massaged the baby’s entire body. She prayed over him and cried over him. Uncomplainingly, she poured her love and affection into caring for his frail body. A neighbour told her, “You’re wasting your life.”

Years passed—five, ten, fifteen—but it wasn’t until Les was sixteen years old that May was able to teach him to stand alone. All this time he never responded to her. But through all of this May continued to love him and pray over him. Then one day May noticed Les using his fingers to pluck a taut string on a package. In seeing this, she began to wonder if Les was sensitive to music. So she surrounded him with music. In fact, she played every tape of music imaginable, hoping that one might appeal to him.

Eventually, May and her husband bought a second-hand piano and put it in his bedroom. Then May took his fingers and showed him how to push the keys down, but Les didn’t appear to understand. Then, one winter night, May awoke to the sound of someone playing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 2. What May and her husband discovered was beyond their wildest dreams. There, before their very eyes, was Les, sitting at the piano smiling and playing the piece by ear. Indeed, it was too remarkable to be true, because Les had never got out of bed alone before. He’d never even struck a key on his own. Now, Les was playing magnificently!

At the sight of this amazing scene, May dropped to her knees and said, “Thank you God! You didn’t forget Les!”

Soon Les began to live at the piano. He played classical, country, ragtime, gospel, and even rock. It was absolutely incredible! All the music that May had played for him was stored in his brain and was now flowing out through his hands into the piano. Then, when Les was 28 years old, he began to talk. He didn’t carry on extended conversations; but he did ask questions, gave simple answers and made brief comments.

Not long after this, Les began playing at concerts for church and community groups, as well as hospitals and support groups. He even appeared on national television.

Doctors have described Les as an autistic scholar, a person who is brain damaged, but extremely talented. However, they cannot explain this unusual phenomenon, although doctors have known about it for nearly 200 years. May Lemke can’t explain it either. But she does know how the talent can be released—and that is through compassionate love.

Friend, there are many tremendous lessons we can draw from this story I have shared with you today:

There is the power of love and the inherent worth of every human being.

There is also the importance of prayer and trust in God and the fact that we are brought face-to-face with the remarkable, though often hidden, talents of each individual person.

There is also the presence of beauty and mystery in our lives; as well as the absolute necessity of never giving up, no matter how great the odds stacked against us.

Perhaps we can all go away from this story I have shared with you today, with a genuine determination to make a difference in the lives of others through unconditional, compassionate love. I hope so!

JUST THINK

“You are here not by chance,

But by God’s choosing!

His hand formed you

And made you

The person you are.

He compares you to no one else—

You are one of a kind.

You lack nothing

That His grace can’t give you!

He has allowed you to be here

At this time in history