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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: A MIGHTY FORTRESS (don't write about the song) (04/23/15)
I sit in a hospital room with a father and his 11-year-old son. Son is severely disabled, having lived all of his life with Glutaric aciduria type 1, a condition that has robbed this child of walking, talking, sitting, eating, any normal bodily function, or even taking a clear breath.

But it hasn’t robbed him of his smile.

The boy was supposed to live for only two years, but he cheated death, and smiled his way through nine more.

Now the doctor has notified the family that this son is entering kidney failure, is in severe pain, and that the end may be soon.

The father wishes to be with his son at this uncertain time, so my husband and I drive the 120 miles it takes to re-unite them. I am the father’s literacy teacher while he is in a half-way correctional house here in Kenora; and my husband and I are also his Pastors.

Father was sent to jail because of misleading information, and Mother will soon testify that her complaint was completely false.

Unfortunately however, that arrest means that the same hospital visits which occurred so freely between father and son, must now be supervised, say the nursing staff with heads lowered. I can read desperation in their eyes, as they add that the supervising person is not there, and they don’t want Dad to be denied. So I step in, and walk into hospital-room holy ground.

The father enters the room and circles his son with arms of love. A smile reigns that outshines the sun.

After an hour of quiet laughter between them, Father gets ready to give his son a bed bath, and draws the curtain. As he does so, it occurs to me that even in this hospital room where nothing can be private, still Father draws a curtain around his son to give him respect and honor. Child smiles and smiles. Happy touch and soft words from Daddy mean love, love, love, and it strikes me as very fitting that a curtain should be pulled around them like a bulwark to contain that love.

A bulwark is defined as a solid wall-like structure that is raised to encircle a city, containing that which is precious within, while providing a strong defense against its enemies from without. This boy’s Glutaric-aciduria type-1 life, with nothing in it but utter dependence and a smile – stands as a bulwark against euthanasia, against abortion, against any one of man’s criminal decisions thought to make life easier, because "My power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor 12:9

And what could be so heinous a crime, that our Lord needs to display His massive power made perfect through such abject weakness?

Convenience…

As the visit draws to a close, I step outside for the last five minutes. Alone, complete with tears, father and son make an offering to almighty God, who promises, one day, that He will wipe those same tears away…
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This article has been read 536 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
C D Swanson 
04/30/15
You have a gift of bringing the story to life. This was touching and powerful in content and delivery. Thank you.

God bless~
Teresa Crumpton 
05/01/15
So well done! You delivered the story in a way that honors the father and his son and even the hospital admininstration. And I love your title. I appreciate this story very much.
Lollie Hofer 
05/05/15
Beautiful story. I like how the definition of bulwark fits exactly what the father is doing for his son.
Sheila Bird
05/14/15
Your article is eloquently written. I was captivated by this story. The message is poignant all by itself but the way you managed to address controversial topics and make such a crucial point was genius. I hope some day I can write a message within a message the way you have. This is inspiring and meant to be shared. Carry on.