Over the last nine and a half years, I have met countless doctors, nurses, therapists, respiratory specialists, insurance representatives, child life specialists, durable medical equipment representatives. You name it, I have dealt with them. Hayden has received Occupational Therapy (OT), Speech Therapy (ST), and Physical Therapy (PT) since he was born. The vast majority of these therapy sessions I have sat in on. Hayden requires suctioning frequently, monitoring for his oxygen saturations, and in case of an emergency trach change, he needs someone present who is capable of changing the tracheostomy tube and keeping his airway secure. Due to these critical needs, Hayden always has to have a nurse with him, or a parent. And so that means, I have seen my fair share of therapy sessions.

Therapy has been crucial for Hayden and our family. I know he has the abilities he has today because of early intervention of therapy services. When he was a tiny baby, the therapists would just hold a shiny, noisy toy in front of him and he would perform the task at hand in order to see the toy. Then, as he got a little bit older, he would do the therapy work and then get to play with a toy he chose from the loot the therapist had. As he got even older and was verbal, many therapy sessions would start out with this statement being made by the therapist to Hayden: “What are you working for today?” Hayden would then declare what game he wanted to play when the real work was done, or what toy he would enjoy after he had earned it, by doing his work and doing his best for the therapist.

See, Hayden trusted the therapist. He believed her when she said, do your work here in this session, and at the end you will receive a reward for your work. And so he worked his tail off because he knew the good that was coming. Some days it was ugly. Some days he was distracted. Some days he did not feel like it. But he did the work he was told to do. And every time, the therapist delivered on the promise.

I cannot tell you have many times people have said to me, “I don’t know how you do it!” Well, me neither. The only thing I can imagine is my trust  in the hope of the future because of Christ. Honestly. I know that the reward at the end of this journey will make the work of this life worth it. And not because I deserve it at all. That is the paradox here. I do not deserve a reward. I don’t. I’m a sinner. I have made terrible choices. I have disappointed people I love. I have hurt people I care deeply for. But because of the salvation Christ offered to me and that I accepted, I know that my eternity will be in heaven.

And I know that reward is what I am working for today. Some days it is ugly. Some days I am distracted. Some days I do not feel like it. But with my hope in Him, I am doing the work and trusting completely that God has a beautiful, elaborate, glorious plan in all of this pain, heartache, and suffering. Because see, I trust Him. I believe Him when His Word says, “And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us.” – Romans 8:23

I know that one day, I will see Hayden’s new body standing tall, with no wires or tubing. I know that one day in eternity Ryan and I will look in each other’s face and not see bags under our eyes brought on by exhaustion, stress and worry. I know that one day, I will see my Maker and we will have eternity to talk about how He used this life, this situation, this suffering, for a grander purpose than I could have ever imagined. I know those things for a fact because I put my trust in Him. If that is something that does not make sense to you, but something you long for – a hope, a peace, a future – reach out to me, to a friend, to another Christian, to your local church. And if you already have that hope, make today count for someone else. Do the thing – even when it is hard and unfair and lonely. Remember what you are working for today. Remember Who you are working for.