Julie's loud screams summoned her mother who ran out to help. "My arm, my arm!" was all she could say between sobs.
#8: Happy Bones
A Character story about obedience.
It was Saturday and the trees made a winter wonderland of beauty after the drizzle the night before turned to ice. All of nature sparkled like diamonds in the bright sun. Julie, however, was bored since she had no one to play with. She came to her mother with the problem.
"Would you like to bake some cookies?" Mrs. Jensen suggested.
"Naw. I want to ride my bike. I already miss it," complained Julie.
"Well, I don't want you doing that for sure. The road and driveway are still very slippery. You would be best to stay in the house until afternoon. Maybe the temperature will warm up enough to melt some of the ice."
"Yah. I suppose so," Julie groaned. She wanted very much to get out and play. After dabbling with a few toys in her room, she finally decided at least to go for a walk. She made sure her mother was in the basement s so she could sneak out without being noticed.
Once outside, Julie trudged through the neighborhood's yard enjoying the crunching sound of the ice-covered snow. But soon she was bored with that , too. "I think most of the ice is gone by now," she decided. "I think it would be OK to ride my bike now. I'll be careful."
Julie got her bike out of a garage, rode down the driveway and turned left. Suddenly she lost her balance and flopped to the pavement.
Julie's loud screams summoned her mother who ran out to help. "My arm, my arm!" was all she could say between sobs. Mrs. Jensen helped Julie into the house and called her dad. He had to come home from work early and take Julie to the hospital where they x-rayed the place that hurt the most.
After a while the doctor came in the talked to Mr. Jensen, and then left. "What's the matter?" Julie asked, still wincing from the pain.
"Looks like an incomplete fracture of the right humerus," Mr. Jensen responded.
"Stop joking with me, Daddy. This isn't funny," Julie protested.
"I'm not. There really is a bone called the humerus. It's here, between your shoulder and your elbow where all the pain is. Your fall this morning cracked it. The doctor will be back in a short time to put it in a cast."
"A cast?! Now I suppose I'm going to miss the skating party with the church kids next week. And how am I going to write in school?"
"Well, I'm not sure how big the cast will be, but I'm sure it won't be on long. Young bones heal faster than old bones. And it is only a crack, not a complete fracture."
"But why do they have to put it in a cast?" Julie asked.
"When the bone breaks, a jelly like substance oozes into the cracked area. This is the same substance that made the bone in the first place. As mineral salts are deposited in this 'glue', it gradually hardens into bone. So the bones have to be put back together the way they were, and then kept that way. Wiggling might upset the 'glue' are might even form a lump of bone around the break."
"Oh," Julie groaned. "Well, I wouldn't want that. Oh, I wish this had never happened at all. It's going to ruin my plans!"
"Let's talk about how this happened. Mother said that she had told you not to ride your bike but you did it anyway."
"Yah," she responded with downcast eyes. "I thought the ice was melted enough but obviously it wasn't. Now this happened."
"So you thought you knew more about it than your mother, is that right?"
Julie didn't answer. Mr. Jensen continued. "You know, David got some broken bones one time, too."
"David in the Bible? Where does it say that?"
"He mentions it in Psalm 51. In verse eight he says to God, 'That the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.'"
"You mean GOD broke David's bones?!" Julie exclaimed.
"Maybe. You see, David was a shepherd. He knew that a lamb that would continually wander off would soon be killed. That lamb would have to learn to obey the shepherd. So the shepherd would lovingly break the leg bones of the lamb, and then set them. Since the lamb could not walk, it would have to be carried everywhere. Soon a very close relationship was developed between the lamb and the shepherd. Once the lamb's legs were healed, it would never be a wanderer again. That is how David felt when God disciplined him for his disobedience. I know a little lamb named Julie who wandered away, disobeying her mother. Now the pain of a broken arm is reminding her that obedience is the best way."
Julie began to cry. Mr. Jensen moved over close to her and stroked her hair. "You know," he said, "a broken arm can rejoice, or make you happy, because it can be a reminder of the pain of disobeying. If you learn that lesson at your age, it will save you from a lot more hurtful disobeying in the future." He paused and then smiled. "Huh, huh. I was just thinking. That would make this a humorous 'humerus', wouldn't it?"
"Oh Daddy," Julie said, hugging her dad with her left arm, just as the doctor returned.