(This is a story I've included in my upcoming book, Selfless Living in a Selfish World.)
Nine-year-old Mak Shulist of Ellisville, Missouri was battling an incurable brain tumor that robbed him of his sight when the Make-A-Wish Foundation came to his side for comfort. Instead of wishing for a meeting with a celebrity or going to a theme park, Mak wished that his friends could have a rock-climbing wall on the school playground.
"It says a lot about the family and the type of person he was -- selfless, thoughtful and caring," said Dave Knes, principal at the 600-student school. "We learned a lesson from a 9-year-old -- that even when we're going through tough times we should be thinking of other people and not ourselves."
“I thought he was going to wish that there was a medicine or something, and he just wished for that,” schoolmate Will Randall told a local television station. “And I was like, ‘Whoa, he's nice.’”
Mak's health was declining and the Make-a-Wish Foundation had to work fast to build the 7-foot-high climbing wall. It took volunteers less than two weeks for the wall to be erected and cost nearly $15,000. On the Thursday before Mak died, his principal videotaped Mak’s friends playing on their playground’s newest piece of equipment. Mr. Knes immediately delivered the video to Mak’s parents so that he could hear the audio of his schoolmates laughing and playing on the wall. His mom said that he was able to hear their joy on tape. The next day, Mak died with his family at his side.
"Every time I'm going to get on this wall I think about him and what he did for us," said one of his friends, Michael Stafford.
No doubt, Mak Shulist left a wonderful example of selflessness to an entire town. In the midst of the pain and agony of his illness, he wanted his friends to have fun. Mak wanted his schoolmates to have an abundance of joy on the playground. His attitude mirrored that of God – to sacrifice self for the joy of others.
There is no better example of unselfishness than the example of God in Christ Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. He selflessly went to the cross for you and me knowing that it would bring us joy and – in an unusual way – it was his pleasure to sacrifice himself. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Who (Christ) for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame.” While giving his life up for our own joy, Jesus had an inner joy knowing his sacrifice would pay unbelievable dividends. This is the kind of example we are to mirror.
