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Health Devotional
Precious in His Sight
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Gen. 1:31, NIV.
When Nabo came to Advent Home, a residential facility for hurting boys, everyone knew he was different. He spoke in monosyllables and could not carry on a conversation. Having never played before, he was clumsy and uncoordinated on the ball field. His social skills and hygiene were on the level of a 4-year-old, even though he was 16. His peers described him as a gross couch potato.
His story is a sad one of parental neglect. Both parents were on drugs. When he was 4 his mother left, so his father raised him. When his father went to work he threatened Nabo, telling him not to leave the house or else he would be kidnapped, so Nebo lived on the couch and occupied his time with three things: potato chips, soft drinks, and watching TV and videos. He did not go to school, so his reading skills were at the second-grade level and his math even lower. Nabo was not mentally disabled—just socially and emotionally deprived for too many years.
In the group home it was difficult for Nabo to adjust to the food. A healthy diet was boring. Not being able to watch television made him restless. He could not focus on his classwork. Idleness and indulgence were his daily companions. His brain needed to be reoriented to responsible living.
Starved for attention and stimulation, in counseling and group therapy he was like a sponge absorbing everything. Nabo learned fast, even though he had a poor self-image. His academic performance jumped to the eighth-grade level, and his hygiene and social skills improved. In 15 months Nabo grew into a productive and aspiring teenager. Now 18, he will be finishing high school in two years. He has a girlfriend and aims to go on to vocational school.
I’ve learned that everyone is precious in God’s sight. And irrespective of our backgrounds, God’s healing power is available to all. If you’ve been hurt or neglected in your childhood, ask God to heal you and to help you reach your God-given potential.
Heavenly Father, help me to realize that in Your eyes I am precious. Please heal my feelings of inferiority, and help me reach the potential You created within me.
When Nabo came to Advent Home, a residential facility for hurting boys, everyone knew he was different. He spoke in monosyllables and could not carry on a conversation. Having never played before, he was clumsy and uncoordinated on the ball field. His social skills and hygiene were on the level of a 4-year-old, even though he was 16. His peers described him as a gross couch potato.
His story is a sad one of parental neglect. Both parents were on drugs. When he was 4 his mother left, so his father raised him. When his father went to work he threatened Nabo, telling him not to leave the house or else he would be kidnapped, so Nebo lived on the couch and occupied his time with three things: potato chips, soft drinks, and watching TV and videos. He did not go to school, so his reading skills were at the second-grade level and his math even lower. Nabo was not mentally disabled—just socially and emotionally deprived for too many years.
In the group home it was difficult for Nabo to adjust to the food. A healthy diet was boring. Not being able to watch television made him restless. He could not focus on his classwork. Idleness and indulgence were his daily companions. His brain needed to be reoriented to responsible living.
Starved for attention and stimulation, in counseling and group therapy he was like a sponge absorbing everything. Nabo learned fast, even though he had a poor self-image. His academic performance jumped to the eighth-grade level, and his hygiene and social skills improved. In 15 months Nabo grew into a productive and aspiring teenager. Now 18, he will be finishing high school in two years. He has a girlfriend and aims to go on to vocational school.
I’ve learned that everyone is precious in God’s sight. And irrespective of our backgrounds, God’s healing power is available to all. If you’ve been hurt or neglected in your childhood, ask God to heal you and to help you reach your God-given potential.
Heavenly Father, help me to realize that in Your eyes I am precious. Please heal my feelings of inferiority, and help me reach the potential You created within me.
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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