Though far from the shores of America, I can keep up with the previous evening’s news through podcasts. Early this morning, the determination of an eight-year-old boy gripped my heart. Hours later, his words still echo through my thoughts.
Braden Gandee has had Cerebral Palsy since birth, but his determination is stronger than his body is weak. Like many boys with older brothers, Braden wanted to do all that Hunter did; and Hunter set out to see that Braden could.
Last June, the brothers found a spot in the news when they walked forty miles to raise awareness for Cerebral Palsy. At mile thirty, the duo considered quitting. Braden’s legs had begun chaffing from the friction against Hunter’s back. Instead of packing it in, however, Hunter phoned a friend who prayed for the boys. Hunter re-situated Braden in the harness on his back, and lit off to finish the trek in a total of thirty hours.
Braden longed to be a wrestler like Hunter, who made the varsity team even as a first-year high school student. For a boy with CP, to participate in a sport requiring strength and coordination, such a goal seemed impossible.
Hunter adapted the work-out for his little brother, who found the hard work “awesome.” Braden had a goal. He wanted to be a wrestler, and he knew he’d have to work to get there. Hunter constantly encouraged Braden to “Do your best.”
Last Sunday, January 11, Braden made it! He wrestled in his first match, with Hunter cheering him on from the sidelines. Big brother delighted in this role-reversal.
As the match concluded, the camera recorded Braden’s words to his brother, “I think I did my best.” Truly, a tender moment passed between the boys, while the nation looked on.
The broadcast finished with Braden’s gentle, young voice offering advice to us all, “People say, ‘he’s disabled and can’t do much’; but I think, if you set your mind to it, and work really hard, you might just be able to do it.”
As a totally blind adult, trying to master so many new internet challenges and online programs designed for sighted techies, I needed Braden’s words. I agree with Hunter, too, “If my little brother can push through, so can I.”
As I considered Braden’s words this morning, I took a hard look at my own attitude. Am I thankful for what I CAN do, or just focused on how hard it is to learn to do new things?
Reading Colossians 3:17 reminded me that, whatever it is that I’m doing, I need to do it all for the Lord Jesus and give thanks to the Father through Him. That means that I’m focused on doing what I believe that Jesus has asked me to do; and whatever it is that I must do to complete the task, I must give thanks to the Father.
A few verses down the page, I read Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Or, in the words of the teenage coach, “Do your best!”
Not everyone has disabilities as obvious as Braden’s and mine; some are invisible, but they still keep folks from achieving their goals. Most of the time, we can do it; though not with the speed or facility others who don’t have our disability can.
Whatever it is that makes life more difficult for each of us, Braden’s advice will help us push through to the goal:
“…but I think, if you set your mind to it, and work really hard, you might just be able to do it.”
