I’m Thankful for Medical Care
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
To Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
Who by His understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
Who made the great lights— His love endures forever.
The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
The moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1-9
“Come on, Tabo. Let’s go.”
“But, Mother, I am going as fast as I can.”
The two stepped out of the clinic into the small carpark. They passed the vehicles on either side of them and walked out onto the street. Scores of people were rushing back and forth on the crowded road. Even a bicycle zoomed passed them in a hurried flash.
Mother looked behind her to see Tabo dragging behind again.
“Let’s GO!” she shouted more firmly.
“Mother, I can’t. This wound is paining me too much. The doctor cleaned my foot well, now it is throbbing with each step.”
Mother looked down at Tabo’s wrapped foot and saw blood on his new bandages. Her heart sank. “This is worse than I imagined,” she thought. “How could a small nail only a few centimeters long create such a problem? Tabo had stepped on it a few weeks ago, but after I cleaned the wound well with water and had put ground charcoal on it, we had hoped that it would heal easily. But it hadn’t. A few days later it had started to swell, was hot to touch it, and had a foul odor. I knew something wasn’t right. I retrieved more water and charcoal to clean it again, but the swelling and pain had come back worse than ever. Our only option was taking Tabo to this doctor.”
Putting her arm under her son’s, she steadied him, allowing him to put most of his weight on her as he walked. She wished she could carry him, but since he just turned 12, there was no way she could manage that, especially since it would take more than 30 minutes to get all the way home. It would probably take longer than that at this pace. They limped along the dusty road, trying to avoid obstacles like Coke cans, goat droppings, and broken glass as to not get his wound too dirty.
Tabo could see the chemist’s store (pharmacy) just ahead, which gave him courage to continue, though the pain shot up his leg with each step. “Just a few more steps until I can rest while mother gets those medicines for me,” thought Tabo.
But as they approached the chemist, mother didn’t slow down. With her head bent low, she kept plodding along. “Mother, we are here,” Tabo reminded her, tugging on her shirt sleeve. “This is the chemist that Dr. Ngwisha told us to stop at.”
“Yes, I know, my son,” she said, not looking into Tabo’s dark brown eyes. “We only have 20 kwacha (1 USD). The medicines that the doctor has prescribed for you cost much more than that. I’m sorry. We can’t get them for you today.”
“But, mother! Dr. Ngwisha said this infection is quite bad. He is concerned that if I don’t get these medications soon, I might get a bone infection like Uncle Patrick. Mother, I don’t want to lose my foot like he lost his!”
Mother put her arms around her son. “Tabo, you know that I love you very much. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. It is very important to me that you get well and strong again. While we just don’t have the money to get the medicines that you need today, I hope that by getting home before supper I could sell my vegetables to my regular customers and get the money needed to buy your medicines tomorrow. I think it’s best for us to sit here on this step and pray before finishing our trip home. What do you think?”
Tabo nodded his agreement.
“Lord God,” mother prayed, holding Tabo’s hand. “We know that You are the Creator of all things. You alone are God, and You hold all things together. We ask you, God Almighty, that You would heal Tabo’s foot. We know that You are the Great Physician. Nothing is too hard for You: not cancer, not broken bones, not heart defects, not an infected foot. Please take this infection from Tabo’s foot and heal it completely – with not even a trace of infection or lasting problems. We also ask You, Our Provider, to give us the money that we need to purchase these medicines for Tabo. Jehovah Jireh, please bless us with the customers we need tonight so I can go back to the chemist in the morning. We trust You, God. You have never failed us in the past, so we can trust You even now with our future. AMEN.”
Tabo and mother rose to their feet and reassumed their walking positions so mother could assist him with each step. Putting one foot before the other, they limped along, passing family, friends, and neighbors, but Tabo hardly noticed them. His full concentration was on the task before him: getting home, even if that meant draining all the energy he had left. As the sun was beginning to set in the evening sky, they made the last turn onto their lane. Tabo paused. “Only five houses to go!” It was in that moment that he knew he could do it. He would make it home, and home meant rest. He didn’t know what God was going to do, but if God could help him make it back home, surely God would heal his infection too.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What happened to Tabo? Why couldn’t they get the medicine that they needed for his infection?
How do you think he and his mom feel about not getting what they need?
Have you ever been without a necessity and didn’t know if you would be able to get it? How did that make you feel?
Parents, how would you feel if you were in this situation?
ACTION ITEMS:
~ Collect medical supplies to send to Zambia with Family Legacy Missions International. Ask doctors and nurses to donate items that they don’t use any more or equipment that they are upgrading. (Email me for more information, lightnersinafrica@gmail.com)
~Donate to organizations like St. Jude who give care to children who have cancer or like Family Legacy’s Hill Wellness Center where we treat all 10,000 vulnerable children in our care.
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
(Psalm 100 is a classic portion of Scripture for our families to memorize during this Thanksgiving season. While some families are accustomed to memorizing verses, this may be your family’s first time. Whatever season you are in, pick either a verse or two or the whole chapter to work on these next 10 days leading up to Thanksgiving. It will be a sweet memory from this holiday with your family. You may even want to challenge your family to memorize these verses and then say them together at your Thanksgiving celebration. If you need ideas on how to memorize Scripture with your family, click here to see some of my favorite ideas.)
Psalm 100
(A psalm. For giving grateful praise.)
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
(If you have already memorized Psalm 100, you can try Psalm 95.)
PRAYER TIME:
Thank you, God, that we have access to good healthcare, medicines, and doctors. Thank you that we can afford to go to the doctor when we are sick. We pray that You will provide for the children and families all around the world who don’t have this privilege.
If you would like to know more about our ministry in Zambia, check out Family Legacy Missions International’s website at www.familylegacy.com.
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