Positive Encouragement
Positive Encouragement
John O’Leary’s fantastic book, In Awe, contains a story from when he was ten years old. A year earlier, John barely survived a fire that burned 100% of his body. His burns were so severe that he could no longer grasp things with his hands. After extensive research, John’s parents discovered two world-class surgeons who reportedly could help their son regain some of the dexterity he had lost in the fire. A groundbreaking procedure promised to create fingers from the hand’s webbing.
The excited family was hungry for hope. They drove six hours to visit the first surgeon. Upon completing his exam, the doctor quickly scanned John’s chart, looked at his parents, and said, “If he was a horse, I’d shoot him.” The family was so stunned by the surgeon’s crude comment that they talked little during their disappointing six-hour-long ride home.
Two weeks later, they visited the second surgeon, Dr. Carolos Pappalardo. Upon entering the room where John and his parents waited, the doctor exclaimed, “What is this? I get to see John O’Leary today? This little miracle boy I’ve heard about is coming to visit with me? What luck is this… Oh, I’ve been so looking forward to the honor of meeting you and serving as your doctor.” After he examined the child’s hands, the boy’s father asked, “Well, what do you think, Doctor?” He held John’s hands tenderly and proclaimed, “They are as beautiful as an Italian sunset!” The entire family walked out of the doctor’s office with renewed hope.
O’Leary described the two doctors’ visits this way: “One doctor saw a child without hope. He walked into the examining room with harsh ‘facts’ and a projection of despair. The other doctor… viewed me as valuable, my hands as beautiful, and my life as ripe with potential.”
The author then asked, “So what do you see when you look at others?” Most of us are neither as pessimistic and harsh as the first doctor nor as upbeat and encouraging as the second.
Dr. Pappalardo performed four successful surgeries. His focus on what was good helped John and his family cling to the hope that the future could be better. He was right; John regained significant use of his hands and has since inspired thousands to cling to hope.
King Solomon, with his incredible wisdom, also encouraged a positive attitude when he wrote, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” (Proverbs 17:22, NLT) When we tear others down, we sap their energy, but when we encourage them, it is as though we are giving them the medicine they need to overcome life’s most challenging moments and succeed. I hope you will join me in aspiring to be the kind of person whom God will use to help others focus on the possibilities and reach their full potential.