Jesus Heals a Child’s Heart

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.

Psalm 3:5

When I was six, I became very ill with rheumatic fever, which left me with a damaged heart. The doctors prescribed complete bed rest, so I was confined to my upstairs bedroom for most of that year. My small bedroom became my world.  

My mother tried to cheer me up. She put stuffed animals all over my bed, and every week she’d bring a cake upstairs for me to ice. I liked that. But sometimes I’d hear her crying downstairs and I knew she was sad. 

One day my mother told me it was time for my nap, but I was too restless to sleep. I began playing with the window shade beside my bed. I tugged on it until it finally broke. I felt bad, because I was supposed to be sleeping, not playing.    

Then suddenly I did fall asleep, so what happened next may have been a dream, but to me it seemed entirely real.  

Jesus was standing in my bedroom, kindly smiling down at me. It was wondrous. 

“It’s important that you rest,” He said. “You need to go on living.” I was amazed. 

Later when I woke, I was so excited to tell my mother, “Jesus visited me!” She just smiled. 

After that, I kept the visit from Jesus to myself. It was my secret to treasure. Jesus had come to me with a message: He wanted me to get well.  

I started getting better. On Christmas Day, my parents allowed me to walk downstairs, very slowly one step at a time. With Jesus’ help I kept improving year after year. 

Looking back, I believe that Jesus came to me at the very time I needed Him most. He came to live within my damaged heart. Today Jesus still lives within my heart - my wholly healed heart. Thank you, Blessed Jesus. 

Lord Jesus, we place all sick and injured children under your care. May they rest in your promise that you will always be near when they need you, when you can say to them, “Do not fear. I will help you.” Sustain them by your grace, so their strength and courage will not fail, and so they can continue to be a source of light to their families and others. Amen.