My Buddy Cameron

So I had the privilege to hang out with a true little soldier for God last night. My buddy Cameron Wade Hope!!

For those of you who do not know him, you’re missing out on a fantastic blessing and the chance to have a cool genuine friend. This little boy is strong, joyful, and courageous and inspires me to be more! Did I mention VERY independent? He is all about doing things for himself. The word "pity" is not in his vocabulary.

I actually met Cameron years ago and from the day I met him, he's always seemed to be in some sort of cast or splint.  Often he's riding around in a wheel chair completely unaware of the contagious joy he is spreading in those glasses with his little smirks and smiles. I remember many times arriving early to church to set-up and there he'd be rolling up next to me in his wheelchair and asking me "Mr. Allen, what can I do"? Wow!! How many people do you know who won't even sign up to be a greeter in church?? Hmmm, kind of makes you think!

The Hope family lost a family member a few days back and held a service for her last night. They needed someone to sit with Cameron while they were gone and of course I jumped at the opportunity!

So anyway, my buddy had surgery yesterday morning on both of his legs and had metal rods put in! Good God! I could not imagine! And I complain about my bad back........It amazed me to see my little buddy run shop on the 7^th floor last night. He had them nurses wrapped around his little finger. He has made so many trips to CHKD that he instinctively knew what to expect and what to do. Seriously! He knew the food menu. He knew all the DVDs they offer the kids to watch. He knew the position the bendy straw for drinking lying down in a hospital bed. He knew how I needed to support his legs when I removed a pillow to make him more comfortable.  He even knew that after the charge nurse gave him pain meds, that he would need the throw up bucket and wash towel for his face. Its amazing how much I learned from watching him last night and how he has changed my life.

A few things I came to realize during my visit:

(1) I have no right to complain about my life. If I have real deal life issues then that is understandable. But if I can't figure out what to wear to work or my car doesn't start or I can't afford a new I Phone. I need to get a grip!! Who am I to be so ungrateful!! My buddy can’t even walk right now!

(2) I don't spend enough of my time with God!  You see Cameron has been doing this for so long, that he knows what to do and what to expect. It comes natural to him. It should be the same in our relationships with God. We should know enough about Him and what His promises are that we know how to react when life gets tough and what scriptures to stand on to get us through.

(3) Pain is real! Cameron has been dealing with some form of pain for a long time. Towards the end of the night, he started to show signs of pain and hurt. But not by his choice!  How many times do we deal with pain and choose to do so because it’s the way things have been or routine. His pain was not self inflected. Ours is more times than not.

(4) Laughter is good for the soul. We had a chance to watch a few DVDs and giggle together. It warmed my heart to watch him smile and share a laugh with him knowing what a rough road he had ahead.

(5) God is still in the business of healing. I took some time and somehow found my way to the hospital chapel. It’s just a small room with an altar, a few chairs, and a stand. There I found a prayer book. I read one prayer written in pen the spoke of how a baby girl was close to death on that day, but because of the love and care of the people of CHKD and healing power of God, she pulled through. At the end of that same prayer there was a side note written in pencil and in the same handwriting that said “My little girl is now ten. Thank you”! I also wrote my prayer for Cameron.

It's amazing what we can learn from a child and realize how spiritually immature we can really be if we would be honest with ourselves. God does not need a big church or tons of money to make miracles happen. He needs you and me to give our time and effort to those who need love and prayer. It's never to late to share a hug or just say thanks. It can make more of an impact than we could ever imagine.

~a