Let's party

It never happens all at once for me.  I may have that aha! moment, but usually it is after the culmination of several moments, or the realization that all of these previous moments have added up to this single moment of enlightenment.  Such it is with this.

Robert and I are studying through a...a... something... called Porterbrook.  Describing Porterbrook to you would take too long and tarry me from getting to what's on my heart, so I'll save that (maybe) for another day.  But recently in Porterbrook we came across a theme that struck me and that I have attempted to take to heart:  celebration.

As Christians, we truly have a lot to celebrate.  Celebrate!  I'm not even talking about smiling about something or thanking the Lord for it, although that is part of it.  I am talking about true celebration!  With laughter.  Singing.  Dancing.  With others, or alone.  Having a PAR-TAY.  I could talk here about great theological truths from salvation to sanctification to predestination to all kinds of other -tions and that would be plenty to celebrate.  But there's more.

God is at work here.  He is transforming lives - my own included.  He is doing many, many, many marvelous things.  And we should celebrate.

I was recalling to someone (or several someones) recently that we often gather as a group of believers and share our lives together... just as often this includes a time of sharing our struggles and prayer requests.  That's awesome!  However, what I think frequently happens is that all our struggles and challenges and needs overshadow the AMAZING things God has done.  Where is the time of testimony and praise?  Sure, sometimes someone will contribute a "praise report" - but look how uncelebratory even that phrase sounds!  God is doing wonderful things all around us, every day.  And it's time to celebrate!

Two years ago I studied through Isaiah with BSF.  A popular theme - a key word - was REMEMBER.  How often were the Israelites (and we today) called to remember what the Lord has done?

Before we can remember it, I think we need to do a few things first:

We need to acknowledge it.  We need to recognize God at work.

We need to tell others about it - testify.

We need to praise God and celebrate!

And later... we need to remember!

How many miracles have I seen in my life that I forget about?  I struggle, as many of you do, with depression... spiritual depression at times and emotional depression as well.  What a positive "treatment" for my depression to remember how God has worked time and time again in my life!

Yeah, I've got problems.  A lot of them.  And so do you, I know.  We are in a broken and hurting world, I know.  But do you know what I saw this past week?

• I saw God answer a prayer request before we even had a chance to pray for it... a HUGE prayer request.
• I saw someone close to me have a heart-change after engaging with the Word of God for a period of time.
• I saw God answer a prayer for my daughter quickly and miraculously.
• I saw God create beauty around me.
• I saw God give - and take away.  His purposes are higher than mine, however, and it's all for His glory.

Often - whenever I remember - I try to engage the kids on the way to church on Sunday mornings in preparation for worship.  I usually ask them what they're thankful for.  This week I asked them a question that's a little less trite - one that requires a little more thought.  Perhaps this is a good discipline for all of us to look for...  What have you seen God do this past week?  Think about it.  Look for it.

Sometimes, He just about knocks my socks off.  We serve a pretty awesome God.

And now I'm gonna go celebrate.

Really?

It began many, many moons ago.  Years ago.  It began when I was pregnant with Christianne, and I found out I was pregnant with Christianne 17 years ago this month.  (Sheesh!  No wonder I feel so darn old.)

The Advertising Powers That Be - those people who know all about you and target their marketing specifically for you - began to send me all kinds of fun stuff in the mail:  coupons, ads for life insurance, formula samples, diaper samples, and the like.

Every couple of months from the time I was pregnant with Christianne until Josh was about 6 years old, it seemed I would get a diaper sample in the mail.  I got them long after Josh was needing diapers, and I would take them to the church nursery and such.  (Funny thing is I don't remember getting them for Grace!)   Pampers, Luvs, Huggies - I got all kinds, in all sizes, for years.

But now that my youngest is indeed 6 (and Joshua 13), I haven't received diaper samples in years.

Until yesterday.

And it was for Depends.

Even if...

Grace is in a special place in her life, one that I treasured with both Joshua and Christianne, the place where she is getting confident in her reading skills and moving up in her ability, the time in her life where she reads everything in sight, from cereal boxes to traffic signs to my BSF lesson - and hungers for more.  She gets a book bag from school every week of "Just Right" books, but to be honest, these are read quickly and without challenge.  It doesn't seem to bother her, but she does enjoy the challenge of beginning chapter books and other things (MY things, ha).

One of the highlights of the past couple of weeks for me was last Friday.  For once we were prepared for LifeGroup early, rather than mopping at the last minute or rushing to finish the food... everything was ready and I had nothing to do.  Grace was nipping at my toes for attention.  I wanted to just rest.  My Bible was nearby and I remembered that the couple of times I had tried to read a particular Psalm recently, I had been interrupted and distracted, and I had an idea.

So stretched out on the living room floor in front of the fire with my eyes closed, I listened as Grace read to me the entire 33rd Psalm, stumbling over only a word here and there.

How beautiful is that?

I sat in wonder, listening to her read God's Word... thinking... what *if* I *had* been a naive woman when I went to that early pregnancy appointment and was advised to terminate her?  What would I be missing right now?  What would the world be missing right now? 

Even if... even if you believe that babies with disabilites should be aborted as I mentioned in my previous post... even if you believe that... if I had believed that and had taken the advice of my medical professional... I would have taken the life of a perfectly healthy child.  A beautiful, loving, God-worshipping little girl. 

That scares the heck out of me.

So 90% of purported Down syndrome fetuses are aborted - which to me is nauseating... but even if you are okay with that... how many of those chidlren never really had Downs in the first place?  Have we terminated the lives of children who may have discovered the cure for cancer?  Who may have led the world in a movement of revival?  Who may have... what? 

Of course God is sovereign and if He wants us to find the cure for cancer, the cure for cancer will be found (and I hope and pray that He does and it is), regardless of the abortion epidemic we face.  Yet still, wouldn't it be an interesting (for lack of a better word) judgment upon us for killing the innocent that we don't have these advances or people in our culture, because of the blood that is on our hands?

I don't know.  I just know that right now, a mere couple of weeks before the next Presidential election, I am tired of the speeches, I am tired of the commercials, and I am tired of the debates.  Yes, the economy is important.  Foreign policy is important.  Health care is important.  But to me, nothing is as important as life, so I vote based on that one issue - life.

I've been pro-life as long as I can remember, but since my pregnancy with Grace, I think my stance has strengthened.  When I look at her and think of the pride of science telling me she doesn't have the right to live - when their arrogance in my case was clearly wrong.  Even if their science was correct and Grace did have Downs, would she be any less special to us, to God, to the world?  She may not be reading chapters of Scripture to me, she may not be breaking boards in taekwondo, she may not live a long and healthy life - but I know she would have the same sweet soul who loves the Lord and loves people. 

And what has more value than that?

Eliot Mooney

I came across an article today that was written some time ago.  It discusses the goal of many in our society to have a culture that is disability-free.  This end is a beautiful thought, of course, and a hope that we hold to with our futures in eternity with Jesus.  How we all long for the time where there is no more pain or suffering or challenges in day-to-day living.  The goal of these people, however, is not to wait until God recreates our world in eternity, or even to pursue that goal by uncovering (ethical) medical advances that might bring healing to people born with challenges today.  The goal of these people is to simply erase them, to terminate them before they are even born.

Many of you know my story with Grace so I won't go into it here (and if you don't, I'll have another topic to write about for another day).  I have much to say about it!

But in the comments section of this article, someone shared this video.  It's beautiful and I hope you'll give it 6 minutes of your time to learn about a special little boy named Eliot.