Laura

Many Christian teachers recogize that there are a few children who seem to have the gift of very deep faith. It is not mature faith yet because they are still children. But it is unusually deep faith.

Laura was a little second-grader when she first was diagnosed with childhood leukemia. At that time the medications were not very successful in treating the disease. After some time away from school for treatment, she returned wearing a wig that was really too big for her. When the other little girls told her that it didn’t look right she said, “But my head gets so cold.” They explained that she could tie a “babushka” style scarf around her head to keep her warm. The next day all the little girls came to school wearing babushka scarves and the boys told them, admiringly, that they looked like pirates.

For the following two years Laura would miss school for a while because of the disease but she very easily kept up with her schoolwork. She was a lovely little girl and everyone hoped that she would soon recover.

At that time our family was responsible for the “Dutch night” program at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry’s “Christmas Around the World” celebration. To keep it very simple each year I selected a class of school children, taught them a few Sinterklaas songs, and on stage they would pretend to be in a school, waiting for a visit from the old saint along with his helper, Pieter. The year Laura was in grade 4 I selected her class.

As we waited behind the stage curtain I noticed that Laura was very pale and her eyes looked big and dark. I hoped it was just the effect of the stage lights that made her appear to be so sick. The program went very well and the children acted just as they were supposed to.

One week later Laura took her last breath. During that week she told her mother which children should have her books and toys because she wouldn't need them anymore on earth. And then she said, “Now, whenever I go to sleep will you or Daddy hold me? That way if I die in my sleep I will go to sleep in your arms and wake up in Jesus’ arms.” And that is what happened.

Laura’s deep faith is the kind that we would wish for our own children and, indeed, for ourselves as well. Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Perhaps he was thinking of children like Laura.

From the forthcoming book, Living in the Fabric of Faithfulness, by Julia K. Stronks and Gloria Goris Stronks