Purpose

I had an opportunity to volunteer today and I just had to share this story with you. I was helping out with a group of second graders. In the class are some amazing children. As you get to know them and their stories you feel so impacted. There is one boy whose mother told me the story of his birth. But today I learned more about him. He is quiet by nature but is well spoken and enjoys telling you about all his favorite hobbies. Well turns out he should not be alive but for some reason he is. You see, his mother had about twenty pregnancies. Yes I said twenty. Honestly at two maybe three I would have been so distraught. But her perseverance is to be admired and commended. What would make her not give up? Even after ten pregnancies, she didn't say, "I guess I am not suppose to have children". At fifteen pregnancies I would have been in a depression that I could not come out of. Her husband is to be commended as well. Finally she gives birth to a premature baby boy; whom I would have named Miracle.

That is not the end of this amazing story. The doctor tells the mother, upon delivery, he will die in a few hours as he has some complications (I think with breathing). The mother asks to take her son home since he is going to die, she would rather him be with family. The next day he is alive. The day after that he is alive. I was spending time with him and his second grade peers and thinking I can't wait to see all the great things he is going to do as he has a purpose on this earth. His teacher says he is one of the top readers in his class and speaks of God often at his own initiative. Of course this got me to thinking about my purpose and that everyone has a purpose to fulfill. We are to flourish and make the most of every opportunity. The opportunity for me to volunteer today was good for my heart. At least for today I fulfilled my purpose and was filled with purpose.