Hello ,
Boyce Mouton wrote the following story when he ministered in California many years ago. It took my
breath away.
"In 1954, a young missionary recruit to Alaska was stricken with a paralytic disease which left her bedfast for the last 10 years of her life. Her name was Marie Napier.
The first time I met Marie was in her home in Sunnyvale, CA. As I stepped into the front room, I immediately discerned the sickening pulsation of her breathing machine. It was a rocking bed, the first one I had ever seen. The bed, patient and all, was rocking back and forth in large
gyrations.
Marie was emaciated and pale. She had not moved in over five years. I awkwardly tried not to stare at her shriveled body.
I clumsily looked at my feet to conceal the expression of shock on my face. I raised my eyes to concentrate on her face, and there I saw a broad and understanding smile.
Gradually, I grew more comfortable in her presence and we began to talk. It was evident that even a simple conversation was a difficult task for Marie. She
timed her words to coincide with the proper movement of the bed and spoke in short sentences. When I left there that day I walked with an invigorated step. I had been exposed to a contagious mixture of warmth and courage.
I visited Marie on other occasions and each time I found the same emotion when I left. I had come to give, but I had left receiving.
The last time I saw Marie before her death was in the Santa Clara County Hospital in San Jose, CA. A power failure had stopped the
rhythm of her bed, and by the time she arrived at the hospital the flame of her life was burning very low. I came the next day for scripture and prayer. The pulsing collar of the iron lung had left her neck chaffed and raw.
The doctor had given her a brief respite from the painful lung to a less efficient device that did not hurt her
neck. It was a 'breathing shell', which was placed across her torso. As I stepped to her side she looked up with tired eyes. A faint smile broke out on her face and she gasped, 'I'm so thankful for my shell.'
As I read this story, I felt shame at all the times I complain to God about the mere trivial things of life that bother me. What
a witness this woman gave as she chose to be thankful for what she did have, instead of concentrating on what she didn't.
Have a great day and God bless!
