The Story of Nate


I once had the opportunity to meet Nate, a friend to one of my friends here at college. He was such a pleasant, sweet boy, so full of the vim and vigor for life. I had guessed him to be much older than he actually was. He was only 14.

While the group of us was gathered around the table, eating and playing games, he spoke of this lump, a tumor, in his thigh. He mentioned that he was going in to the hospital to get it removed the following week, but he talked about it as though it wasn't any big deal. Then, he simply blew it off, and the rest of us did likewise.

In the weeks that followed, my friend continued to give all of us updates on Nate. He came through surgery well, and they [the hospital] sent this tumor away to find out its origin and cause. Nate now walked with a limp, somewhat dragging his foot behind him. He loved to run track, and he just couldn't wait until he was well enough to do so again.

A month after this surgery, my friend came to me, and I could tell that she was upset about something. She told me that the results had come back, and the tumor was cancerous... He was to have his leg amputated. I could only imagine how Nate felt about all of this. He was to go into the hospital for even more testing, to find out if the cancer had spread, etc. I later found out that the tumor had grown back in his leg, thus requiring the amputation. All of us engaged in fervent prayer, telling as many people as we possibly could, so they would pray for Nate, too.

One morning, during chapel, we gathered around the altar. I don't know, but Nate's case, for some reason, just touched me so much that I broke down. I kept on thinking about how Nate must have been feeling, what he was going through... We prayed for a long time, to give Nate peace, to give us peace, to heal him. Time and time again, I heard my friends say, "If it's in God's will..." Why wouldn't it be God's will? Doesn't it even say so in the Bible: pray, and God will grant it? Why would God allow a young boy to lose his leg? Why? Surely, God could grant miracles, especially in this case. I knew it because I've seen miracles in my lifetime.

I went to nearly everyone I knew, telling them about Nate, asking them to pray for him. I even told my Sunday School teacher, when I went home one weekend.

Some of the results for Nate's tests came back. The cancer hadn't spread, but the surgery was still scheduled. However, there was still time, and there were still more tests.

One day, I asked my friend about 'God's will'. "I don't completely understand this whole idea of 'God's will.' Why wouldn't God heal Nate? I thought that if people prayed for something, God would grant it," I beseeched to her. Of course, I understood God's will, to an extent. It meant that God knows what's best for us. So, sure. Maybe if we pray for something like a new BMW when our old, beat-up Ford serves just as well, God probably wouldn't grant this request. Still, Nate's condition was MUCH different.

"Imagine that you really needed money for something," my friend began, "so you prayed that you would hit the lottery. Well, maybe God doesn't want you to get the money that way. He has something even better in mind, such as getting money from somewhere else, maybe people you know you loved and cared about you."

"That made sense, but, what about Nate?" I asked.

"Nate became a Christian at an early age, but, over the years, his attitude changed. He needs to learn a lesson from this. God healed Nate's body, but he doesn't attribute it to God. His attitude, though, HAS changed A LOT in the past weeks, but something good will come out of this. Maybe none of us will be able to see it, but maybe this experience will serve as a personal testimony for Nate."

She was right in her thinking, but I still wholeheartedly believed that God should heal Nate. I still believed, even though the surgery was moved up from the following week to the next day...

I would like to say that God answers all prayers, but he doesn't. On that Friday, Nate lost his leg. Never again would he be able to walk, skip, run, jump, or swim with the rest of us. His track days were over. Racing him in the parking lot at McDonald's had made its indelible impression on my memory forever, and Nate will always have a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic. Sure, he's still alive, but he can no longer live life as he wanted. Only 14, his whole life ahead of him... Life as an amputee. This isn't someone who was born without a leg. Nate was born with two, very healthy legs, in fact. He loved to run track. In fact, he struck me as being quite the athlete. Then, he lost his leg. Now what kind of life could he hope to live? If he ever became bitter toward God, I couldn't blame him. I was even bitter toward God myself for a time. I mean, WHY could God allow this to happen?! I struggled with doubt, but the Lord told me that it was going to be alright, not to worry, that it's in His hands. So, instead, I went back to worrying about my own Christian devotion.

Then, I was struck with a revelation. I learned an important lesson through this. How often do we complain about what we don't have, while being completely oblivious to what we DO have? Nate's condition served to remind me that, even though he seemed to have everything going for him, it could be taken away just as quickly. So, be thankful that you have two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, and a head upon your shoulders. Maybe your eyesight or hearing isn't as great as you wish it was. Be thankful that you aren't completely blind or deaf! You never know when something might happen to take away these blessed gifts that you have, just as Nate didn't know.

I know other people at my college who are blind or hearing-impaired to some degree. One girl, especially, sticks out in my mind. I'd known her from church camp. She wasn't born blind, but she became blind sometime during her high school years. I've talked to her on a few occasions. She's not bitter toward God, though she could be. In fact, she's a very cheery individual, thankful for what she does have, with an amazing voice as well.


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