They Just Don't Understand

Monday Devotion

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

Matthew 5:11

Melissa has to leave her home every Tuesday and Friday at 3:00 p.m. to take Christy to a physical therapy session on the other side of Chicago. Because she wants to leave Christy in school for as long as possible, the late-afternoon trips put them in the thick of commuter traffic, and they don’t return home until 7:00 p.m.

Christy hates these therapy sessions, but they’re doing wonders for her ability to walk with a normal gait. As Melissa welcomed Christy into the car one Tuesday afternoon, Christy hissed at her: “I’ll never forgive you for doing this to me.”

Melissa wanted to ask Christy what she wouldn’t forgive: the four-hour trips twice a week through heavy traffic, all to help Christy walk better? The vacations she and her husband, Greg, had given up so they could have the roughly $1,200 a month to spend on special services, education, and therapies to help Christy learn how to cope? The many nights Melissa spent on the Internet, trying to find the best services and support materials to help Christy overcome her challenges? Melissa has given just about every ounce of strength she has to help Christy deal with her disabilities—and for that, Christy will never forgive her?