Posted by
John Crutchfield on Thursday, January 22, 2009 8:20:42 AM
In the days following Christmas, 1993, things got a little better. Donna's Christmas greeting had lifted my spirits and shed a new light on just how far from God I had strayed. We shouldn't be surprised how messed up our lives can become when we stop trusting Him. It was time to repent, but as I came to realize, its always time to repent.
It was time to tell my Heavenly Father how sorry I was, even though He already knew. The guilt was mine to own and I thanked Him for reminding me of His love for me. I thanked Him for my beautiful wife and children and promised to never take them, or Him for granted again.
Soon after, I sent a letter of thanks to Tyler's mother and told her how much her greeting had meant to me. To my surprise, she responded with another letter revealing more information about Tyler and how God gave them the strength to deal with it all. She continued to witness to us in every letter or greeting that followed, and there were many to come in the years ahead.
After our initial contact, I shared with Donna the difficulties we faced with our sign business in a shambles. She kept us informed of Tyler's progress. We promised to pray for each other; she for blessings on our business and I for Ty's health and God's mercy on her family.
Months later, we learned that Tyler's cancer had returned and he faced another grueling round of chemo. Still, he endured the discomfort and we began to see the love of God at work in this little boy.
Tyler rallied once more. Again Donna told us of his miraculous recovery and how good God is. In one letter, she told us that Tyler had decided he wanted to be a minister when he grew up. It wasn't a great surprise that the son of such a faithful and God fearing mother would come to know God as the giver of life and all things good and wonderful. What a great testimony this little one would have to share one day, I thought. Of course, his testimony was being lived out every day for those who would listen.
A few years had passed since we first saw Tyler's story. Each Christmas we would receive a card from Donna with an update on Tyler's progress. I looked forward to those messages because depression still haunted me, especially at Christmas time. One would think I hadn't learned my lesson and the greetings were like small reminders that God was still there.
Tyler's leukemia came and went and came and went. Each time, Donna praised God for His mercy and shared with us the latest developments. She let us know all the little strides her son made in life. She let us know when Ty was finally strong enough to start school. She sent photos and letters and always, always gave all honor and glory to our Almighty God. I was amazed at her ability to continue walking with the Lord as she undoubtedly lived with the fear that this terrible disease would come for her son yet again. And it did, but Tyler was a fighter.
One day, we got a letter in the mail. Donna sent along a picture Ty had drawn in brightly colored crayon. He was probably about eight or nine and the chemo had wreaked havoc on his little body. The picture and penmanship revealed that his motor skills lagged a little behind his age group, but that didn't matter. As they say: "It's the thought that counts". And so it was. I'm sad to say that I don't remember what the picture was, but his words said it all. This little boy, who had endured unimaginable pain and sickness, gave me a glimpse of Christ on the cross. He had very carefully and deliberately scratched out a message that I will never forget....
I pray for you.
Love,
Tyler
To be continued..........