"We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom 5:1 NIV)
"Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty
of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you
that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you?" (John 14:1-2 The Message)
She was around six years old. Whenever I saw her on the playground, she was
always smiling. A cute little thing with beaming eyes, one who had everyone in
the school as her friend. I didn't know much about her, except that she was ill,
very ill. I had no idea however, just how ill she truly was until the day when I
replaced a colleague for bus duty...
While assuring that all of the students remain safe until their bus picked them
up, I suddenly felt a hand slip into mine and clutch it tightly. As an
intermediate teacher, I was really not used to this! I didn't pull away,
however, and as I looked down at her, she was smiling up at me. I couldn't help
but wonder what I had done to desire this honour. After all, we had never even
spoken before.
Then she started to speak, and it turned out to be a conversation that changed
my life.
"Do you know that I have leukemia?" She asked.
What a big word for such a small child! No, I hadn't known, but because it
seemed the right thing to do, I nodded anyway.
"I'm going to die soon!" She said matter-of-factly.
I was stunned. I had no clue what to say! Was she truly dying? How was this
possible?
As I stared dumbly at her, she spoke again: "But that's okay!"
How could she say that? It isn't "okay" for someone so young to be forced to
face certain death! But since I still couldn't think of anything meaningful to
say, I remained silent.
"I know where I am going, though!" She added with a mischievous grin.
I nodded. I still couldn't speak, but it was for a different reason now: I
couldn't make my voice work around the knot in my throat! I reached up with my
free hand and rubbed my eyes, trying hard to be inconspicuous about the tears I
was wiping away.
"Don't tell my parents," she said. "I don't want them to worry. They already
worry way too much about me!"
Just a few short months later, I had the opportunity to attend her funeral.
During the service, they played her favourite song: "You are my sunshine". I
glanced around, wondering if anyone else knew what I knew: That she was, beyond
a doubt, in the arms of her "Sunshine" as we sang!
Do you know who your real Sunshine is?
I have learned from my brief encounter with this special child of God that in
the end we are all powerless. Some of us rebel, others are resigned. But unless
we know who our Sunshine truly is, we will never be able to let go without an
anxious struggle.
Storms are looming, trials will come; but if you know who your true Sunshine is,
then you have no reason to fear. Our true hope lies only in One!
"Be strong and experience his presence with you." (1 Cor 14:3The Message)
You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my Sunshine away.
If your Sunshine is Jesus Christ, no one will ever be able to take it away!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.