Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 37, No. 14 Home PageAfter the elder finished, Martha Cooper spoke up: "I'm glad we'll be having those meetings, but I hope we'll include some solid teaching on the honourable place of suffering in the lives of Christians."
Martha, you see, is confined to a wheelchair. She's been that way since she was struck by polio in infancy. Martha's gone to the hospital more often than most of us have gone on vacation. Hospitals used to terrify her, and handicapped people repulsed her because they reminded her of her own limitations. Then something happened. Martha finally accepted herself as a whole person.
Not long after, when she was in the hospital again for corrective surgery, Martha met a woman dying of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Martha's friendship was instrumental in leading that woman to the Lord (whom she is now with for eternity).
Since then, Martha and her husband Dale have started the Sonshine Group to minister to handicapped people in our church. The group includes folks like Ron, born with cerebral palsy and further crippled in a car accident. Ron says: "I've learned that the things Jesus Christ did were not for Himself; they were for people like me."
And there's Tom, who, although severely retarded, says: "I like Jesus, and people know that because they watch me. I don't do bad things anymore."
Then there's Fran, with her warm, crooked smile, who eagerly says: "The Sonshine Group has given me friends and teaches me more about Jesus."
Others in the Sonshine Group have similar testimonies because of Martha's ministry. Martha is also the first person to reach out to church visitors in wheelchairs or on crutches.
Tell me, do you think Jesus' healing has passed Martha Cooper by?
Dave and Neta Jackson are the authors of many books. They live in Evanston, Ill.
Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 37, No. 14 Home Page