Psalm 42:1-11 (NIV)
My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” ... Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? ... My soul is downcast within me ... Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Let me start off by saying from my perspective – This stinks!
When I received the call from Joe on Monday morning, I, like many of you, was shocked, saddened and – to be very frank – angry. This seemed unfair!
At that moment my perspective was that I could think of several people that I would rather have the Grim Reaper of death cast his shadow. I have pastored churches for nearly 30 years and, to be honest (and may God forgive me), there were a few parishioners’ names that quickly popped into my head, and of course there were a few names from my stint as the Mayor of Chugwater that came to mind as worthy of his visit (if you fall into one of those categories, sorry. I too know that I was not loved by all.)
From my perspective this stinks because our friends, Patty and Joe and the entire family are hurting, and that makes me uncomfortable. If you want to quickly get me squirming in my seat just start crying, because I am a fix-it guy and I have figured out there are certain things I cannot fix.
From my perspective this stinks because a “Celebration Service” is not high on my list of favorite activities. Let me assure you that right now I would not rather be anywhere else but right here for and with you, but a week ago I was not thinking that I was overdue for attending such an event.
From my perspective this stinks because I can’t help but think that Josh deserved a break. He was courageous and had undergone so many things related to his Down Syndrome and I think in the earthly world of fairness he deserved differently.
From your perspective you may be tempted to say to Patty or Joe, that they will someday have a sense of relief from the burden of caring for Josh and his disability, but let me warn you to keep that one to yourself, lest you unleash the furry of a family who’s love never saw this as burden, but so experienced the joy of caring for someone with special needs (as opposed to yours and my ordinary needs), that they adopted another special needs child, Daniel.
Yet there is another perspective besides mine and yours, and that would be God’s.
No one is a mistake or defective in the eyes of God.
Psalm 139:1-16 (NIV)
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
The presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome in Josh’s chromosomal make-up was not an oversight on God’s part. It was not an experiment gone awry. I believe that it was both intentional and purposeful. To be honest I cannot always understand why God does what he does, but in this case I can clearly see the results of God’s working, more about that in a minute.
All of our days are ordained by God
Each of us has a purpose in God’s plan, a plan that is worked out from before birth right up to the day of our death. In his book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan likens life to the roles in a movie. In life’s movie God is the main actor, He has the lead role. Other actors have parts to play with varying degree of notoriety, but each is a part of the big picture. Yours and my problem is that we sometimes get the perspective that this movie is about us.
I am confident that as Josh entered into the presence of God, the words of God spoken to the faithful stewards were some of the first words that Josh heard spoken to him, “Well done though good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Before we build Josh into Sainthood, let me remind you that he had the abilities to manipulate, irritate, and frustrate. And he was able to do all of that sometimes with a twinkle in his eye and grin on his face.
From God’s perspective Josh was one of the great teachers of all time
Patty, Joe and the family have had the privilege of learning from Josh how to love as God loves. A great teacher is one that impacts not just the head knowledge, but also the life of his students. Josh challenged or discipled those he came in contact with in the art of a 1 Corinthians 13 love:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. …
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (NIV)
Most of us are in remedial love and we keep getting held back for lack of proficiency. But the great Master teacher sent you a tutor, JOSH – and you are better for that.
Josh has now graduated to the ultimate expression of love as he abides in the arms of Jesus.
All of his physical and mental limitations are gone. Jesus and he can now discuss nuclear fusion if they want, but I doubt that is the topic of discussion.
I imagine Josh experiencing one of the biggest and longest hugs of His life, and his asking Jesus, what are the secret 11 herbs and spices that make up the KFC original recipe? And, “Can we eat now?”
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