More From Darrell Boone

Our middle son, Peter, was born with a severe case of spina bifida, which led to a lifetime of serious medical complications, surgeries, and hospitalizations. Despite his many challenges, he lived a joyful and fruitful life. For 17 years, he served as a volunteer with Joni and Friends Family Retreats, which ministers to individuals and families impacted by disability. It was through this that I first learned of another ministry, Wheels for the World, which provides wheelchairs for people in need around the world.

My late wife, Sandra, and I had been caregivers for Peter his entire life. Peter went home to be with the Lord in 2014, at age 39. The following year, I went on my first short-term mission trip with Wheels for the World. It was to the Middle East, and I served as a wheelchair mechanic, making adjustments to the wheelchairs to fit their new owners. Between our American team and our in-country partners, we were able to give 273 recipients and their families the precious gift of mobility.

While I find great joy in helping to provide wheelchairs to people who desperately need them, there are also aspects of the work that are difficult. I frequently see young children who are severely disabled physically and/or mentally. It breaks my heart because I know the challenges that lie ahead of them and their families. I find myself wishing I could fix their whole situation.

I can’t provide complete healing, but I can help to provide a wheelchair. And I can share with these families that I, too, have been in their situation and that I appreciate how they’re caring for their child and promise to pray for them. In doing so, my teammates and I have provided a proverbial “cup of water” (see Matt. 10:42) for these people. Through these trips, I have seen firsthand that the world is full of hurting people; and while only God can do everything, I can at least do something.

In today’s meditation, I mention that another one of my joys is sharing my faith and spiritual journey through writing. Of all the writing I’ve done in the past 20-plus years, my most cherished experience was publishing the story of Peter’s amazing life in a 2017 memoir. Peter loved sports, and, like many of the truly great athletes, his courageous example and winning attitude made those around him, including myself, “play better” in the game of life because of God working in his life.

A few years ago, I gained a new appreciation for a Bible verse which speaks to both of my joys and has become one of my favorites: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10, NIV). And one of my all-time favorite quotes is from Chariots of Fire, the movie about Eric Liddell, Scottish Olympic gold medalist and missionary. In the movie, Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose. . . . But he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.” I, too, believe that God made me for a purpose. Whether I’m making modifications to wheelchairs or writing for publications like The Upper Room, I feel God’s pleasure.