I would like to tell you all a story about one of the greatest lessons
I have learned during my lifetime.  You see, when I was growing up, I
lived up the street from a certain family.  Now this family had a mom and
a dad, two brothers and one sister.  It was the sister who taught me my
lesson (this one and may others I might add). Her name is Katy.
   Katy was born with cerebral palsy so severe that her doctors deemed
her physically devastated.  Katy will spend her whole life confined to a
wheelchair that she can barely control because her muscles are too
spastic.  She can not raise her arms to hug you or even pucker her lips
to give you a kiss.  In fact, sometimes she can't even control her
breathing enough to speak a single word.
   So what could Katy have taught me?  Well, when she was about 5 years
old, Katy was preparing to undergo yet another surgery in her very young
life. You see this time her hips had come out of their sockets and had to
be replaced.  The recovery was going to be excruciating and long.  She
would spend 4 months with her lower body in a cast.  When she was told
about the surgery, she didn't cry, she didn't complain, she didn't ask
"Why me?" or "Do I have to?"  Katy only asked one question:  "Are you
going to be there Mommy?"
   This hit me like a ton of bricks.  How many times have I gone through
minor tests and trials, even some major ones, and sat back and complained
and whined to God?  How may times did I say "I don't want to do this," or
"Why me?"  instead of asking the only real question that matters:  "Are
you going to be there God?"
   You see, once Katy knew that her mother would be with her the entire
time, she was fine.  She knew that she would not have to endure and
suffer alone, and that was all she needed to know.  I thought about that
for a long time and decided that, when hard times came upon me, instead
of asking questions that didn't matter, all I need to know is "Are you
going to be there God?"  And since his answer is always yes, what could I
possibly have to fear.