Heather Bellamy spoke with Steven Harris about what he endures every day because of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the joy he has found in the midst of his suffering

Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Psalm 40:17
"But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay."

Heather: Has God been able to use the hard stuff for good in your life?

Steven: Yes, it has kept me from being able to do a lot of stupid things I wanted to do; I mean like the things a lot of teenagers get into. I guess it's all ages, isn't it? It's forced me to call out to Him for help, as God's the only one who could truly help and do the miraculous. It's showed me how to endure and how to be patient and to see what the most important things are in life. It's also meant that I am able to help others who are struggling and suffering. The hard stuff isn't always pleasant, but it does bring us closer to the Lord and bring rewarding outcomes. And if it's not here on earth, it'll be in heaven!

Heather: How have you all coped as a family in journeying together with your illness?

Steven: We have our ups and downs. Some days, you know, we really get along and handle it well, and some days we get on each others' nerves and have little spats once in a while. At the end of the day, we know the Lord is the one who helps us and keeps us together. Every time I've ever been in the hospital, my parents and brother have always been there beside me taking care of me. I'd like to tell you everything's been fine and dandy and a bed of roses, but that wouldn't be the truth. I can't really give my mom and dad and brother's perspective about things, I'm sure each of them would have a different perspective on the things we go through. I guess you can say that we do cope; we just take one day at a time.

Heather: What do you enjoy most in life?

Steven: I enjoy talking with the Lord and learning from His word to help others. I also enjoy worshiping the Lord and listening to lots of every style of Christian music. Well, maybe not super heavy metal, lol. I also enjoy learning about the Jewish culture and my Jewish roots in Christianity. I also enjoy learning about creation science from the Answers In Genesis website/magazine. I also enjoy learning about biblical archaeology when I have a chance, though that hasn't happened lately.

The Harris family

Heather: How does God help you?

Steven: Of course he helped me by dying on the cross and saving my soul. He also helped me greatly when He baptized me in His spirit, as is mentioned in Acts and some of Paul's writings. His word always encourages me because it reminds me of His promises and His unfailing love. He's helped me by giving me joy and peace and the unction and resolve to fight on. He's also helped me by letting me know it's alright to praise Him out loud and unashamed. He's helped me by providing great parents and a brother that are willing to deny themselves to help me out. He's also blessed me with great friends and pastors and internet Bible and streaming online church services. God's helped me so much there's not time enough in the world to tell you how much He's helped me!

Heather: Do you believe that God has a plan for your life?

Steven: Yes, very much so. That plan is to share the good news of forgiveness from sins, reconciliation, and the reversal of the curse from Genesis. He's done that by giving me a tract to pass out and He's also called me to let my Jewish brothers and sisters know that their Messiah has come, and that they'll still be Jewish if they turn to the Messiah! That's only happened three times, and I can't wait for the Lord to give me more opportunities.

Heather: What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

Steven: That's funny that you say that, because I've actually had some literal dreams for the future. You know, I've got a blog and to save room in this article, you might want to check out these links to explain my calling and the visions and dreams the Lord has given me:

Here's a link for my calling. Also here's a link for visions and dreams that I've had, they're incredible you've gotta check them out!

Heather: With all you suffer and endure, what is the value of life?

Steven: Even though I suffer, there is much value to life. I still get to praise the Lord and interact with others. I also have opportunities to relate to others and share the good news. If we only think about ourselves and not others that can make you miserable and feel like your life has no value. To be honest, there are some days when I want to die, but I know the Lord has a plan and purpose for me at this time. That's why it's important to think about others, because we are here to help others and not just ourselves.

Heather: In the UK there is a push by groups to bring through assisted suicide. Is it the same in America? What is your opinion of assisted suicide?

Steven: I heard that some people are pushing for that in the United States and I'm sure if people had their way, there would probably be a bigger push. I do believe it's more for the elderly and the handicapped. You may call this a conspiracy theory, but I noticed that when the elderly and handicapped are very sick, the first thing the doctors want to do is pump them full of morphine to counteract the side effects of the medicine, which can give you more side effects or kill you. I think doctors are programmed to do that without realising that they are killing off the handicapped and elderly. I just think that it's a dark thing that the enemies of God try to push in the US and abroad; the spiritual enemy that is.

I am totally opposed to assisted suicide because the Lord says in his word: