Boss Your Heart
By Kirsten Walkup
It never ceases to amaze me how the life of one little girl, who left this world far too soon, could be so impacting and far-reaching. I was not fortunate enough to have known Chrissie while she was with us. Before her struggle with her illness and victory through Jesus Christ, I couldn’t have told you who she was or picked her out in a picture. I probably saw her at church in my daughter’s class or in the hallways with her parents, but I had no idea as to who this little girl, Chrissie Patterson, was.
Like many, I became acquainted with her through Lorraine’s heart-wrenching account of Chrissie’s fight in the hospital. I must confess that I’m not one that follows blogs and I generally only glance over the church’s newsletters when they come out. But something about Chrissie’s battle really stuck with me. At the time I was really bogged down spiritually as a ministry endeavor I had sunk my heart and soul into had come crashing down. I was in a bit of a funk and was feeling a little sorry for myself about how things had turned out. Reading daily updates from a family I hardly knew concerning a remarkable child that I did not know is not typical for me, yet her unfolding story drew me in. I didn’t understand why, until the words “boss your heart” flew out of my computer screen and hit me like a freight train.
It was late in the evening when I read of Lorraine’s prescient exhortation to her little princess to boss her heart (and lungs), even though it didn’t want to work right. The fact that Chrissie did just that and her heart cooperated made it all the more compelling. When I finished reading through that account, I stopped and stared at my screen for what felt like hours, as the Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart. Chrissie needed to boss her physical heart into working right and had the courage and fortitude to summon the will to do it. I too needed to boss my heart into getting back into a right frame of heart and mind so that God again could use me for His ministry, but had yet to summon that same will.
A little girl who had endured so much had demonstrated to me what perfect faith looked like. Her mother told her to boss her heart, she trusted her mother, and told her heart to work again. And it worked. My Heavenly father had told me that the things I was dealing with had a purpose, even if I didn’t yet understand them, and that I needed to trust Him. The difference is that I was harboring anger and hurt in my heart, and I didn’t want to let it go. Like so many, my hurt was my possession, and I wanted to hang on to it, but I couldn’t. If Chrissie, this precious little warrior, could boss her heart into doing what it was made to do, then I could boss mine into letting go of the things that were sapping my spiritual will. That night I did just that and have since given little thought to the things had troubled me so much.
Chrissie’s life-story has been told, but the impact of her life and triumph over death will not be known this side of eternity. As one whose life has been immeasurably impacted by her brief time on earth, all I can do is give thanks to God for allowing me to know of her and her remarkable strength and courage.
Happy Birthday, Chrissie!
J330
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