Mark of His Love

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.”  

―James 1:17, NIV

We sometimes have the erroneous notion that if everything appears well on the exterior everything is okay. At our daughter’s delivery, I equated her ten fingers and ten toes with perfection. Caught up with her external appearance, I gave little thought to the possibility that something was wrong on the inside.

My obstetrician immediately suspected Down syndrome because of some of our daughter’s distinct facial features: almond-shaped eyes, a small head with a flatter profile, a thicker neck, a somewhat flat nose, a smaller mouth and ears, and a thicker tongue. None of these features is abnormal in itself, but when a doctor sees a number of these features combined, Down syndrome is suspected. Because of these and other distinguishing physical features, people with Down syndrome will resemble one another as well as bear a resemblance to their family members. My doctor was convinced of his suspicions when he looked into the palms our daughter’s hands and saw the simian line.

In the average hand, three lines intersect the palm―the head, heart, and life lines. A simian line fuses the top two lines (the head and heart) into a single, deep line that crosses the palm horizontally. This line is present in approximately 3 percent of the general population and appears in about one-half of individuals with Down syndrome. (It can also show up in the palms of a person who is gifted mentally even to the point of genius.)

Further chromosomal testing supported the doctor’s conclusions. Intricately woven into every cell of our daughter’s body was an extra copy of the twenty-first chromosome―the distinctive marker of Down syndrome. Our daughter may appear flawed to some, and she may fall short of humanity’s expectations, but in the eyes of her Creator she is perfect and ideal for the role she was destined to play in our lives.

As believers, we too carry a distinctive mark―the seal of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s indwelling presence in our lives signifies that we belong to the family of God and are joint heirs with His Son, Jesus. When we grow together in Christ as His children and assume His nature, we begin to resemble one another in character and deeds. After a while, others come to know us as members of God’s family because we resemble our Father.

If we could look into the hands of Christ, we would see within His palms distinctive marks―marks of His love for us: His nail scars. Regardless of our genetic make-up, Christ considered us worth dying for. Now, as believers forever marked by His love, we each have that extra something that makes us perfect, inside and out. Pretty special, huh?

Now it's your turn to "get down." Do you bear the mark of God's love? Reach out and make Christ visible today by giving someone a hand up.

I welcome your comments.

Keep your sunny side up!
Starr

Day 3 of a five-day series which first appeared at www.zookeepersministries.com

Expecting the Unexpected

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
―Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV

I was four months pregnant when I was rushed into emergency surgery―the diagnosis: acute appendicitis. Afterward, I clung to my unspoken fear that the anesthesia would adversely affect our unborn child.

At our daughter’s birth, five months later, I was more anxious to know if our baby had ten fingers and ten toes than whether or not our child was a boy or a girl. Counting all her digits, I breathed a sigh of relief and a silent prayer dedicating her to the Lord and His will for her life. I didn’t realize the significance my prayer would have a few hours later.

The next morning, my husband, along with his mother and our pediatrician, entered my hospital room. Their downcast expressions pierced my joy-filled heart. Although words seemed unnecessary, the doctor proceeded to tell me our daughter had been born with Down syndrome.

Surely, he was mistaken. I’d just held her. Hadn’t I marveled at her strength as she lifted her tiny head from my shoulder? Hadn’t I unwrapped the pink flannel blanket to reveal all seven pounds of wrinkly flesh and counted every last finger and toe for myself? They were wrong. Our child was nothing less than perfect!

Reflecting on my surgery, I blamed her disability on the anesthesia. Our pediatrician assured us that nothing we did had caused this, and there was nothing we could have done to prevent it―Down syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality that results in intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Later that night, in the shadowy stillness of my hospital room, warring thoughts grappled for prominent position in my mind. I could do nothing to silence the incessant replay of our physician’s words inside my head, nor to dismiss the unwelcome companions of doubt and fear lodged deep within my heart. I thought of the delivery room and my initial relief. Now my joy suffered a crushing blow, unleashing an avalanche of contradictory emotions and prayers.

Oh, yes, the prayer―that prayer―the one surrendering our daughter to the Lord’s will. I so wanted to retract my words of grateful submission. Instead, I pleaded for miracles, miracles that would change the diagnosis, miracles that would somehow make everything different.

Life seldom unfolds as we expect. Mary’s didn’t. An unforeseen pregnancy interrupted her plans to marry Joseph. What questions and fears must have raced through her mind, yet her response was, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38, ESV). Mary yielded her plans to God and trusted in His wisdom―the outcome: salvation for all humanity.

It’s easy to offer prayers of grateful submission when things are going well, but to yield our ways to God’s when the unexpected comes crashing in is a true test of our character and faith. Surrender you challenges into the care of the One who holds your future. He is your salvation. Trust Him.

Now it's your turn to "get down." Have you ever wanted to retract a prayer or promise you've made to God? What was the end result?

I always welcome your comments.

Keep your sunny side up,
Starr

Day 2 of a five-day series which first appeared at www.zookeepersministries.com

Sunny-side Up

“Oh, how sweet the light of day, and how wonderful to live in the sunshine! Even if you live a long time, don’t take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour.” ―Ecclesiastes 11:7–8, MSG

Hitting the snooze button for the last time, I rolled out of bed, shuffled to the kitchen, and took two eggs from the refrigerator tray. Determined to start my day sunny-side up, I tapped one egg on the side of the cast-iron skillet and watched its contents slip into the sizzling pan.

Wow! A double yolk. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen an egg with two yolks.

As any appreciative twenty-first-century recipient of such good fortune would do, I first chronicled this rare occurrence with my camera and then googled the significance of a double yolk. Wikipedia informed me that the superstitious say a double yolk means double good luck: the recipient will get double their good expectations.

This eggspert view of life is amusing, but basing our expectations on false hope is a slippery slide into discouragement. The hard-shell reality is that regardless of our sunny disposition, at some point we’re going to end up in a frying pan full of hot grease. What does the outcome look like for you―scrambled or sunny-side up?

In general, I view life from the upside. I attribute a great portion of my optimism to the unrealistic portrayal of family on television in the late fifties and early sixties. Although I viewed the lives of Beaver Cleaver and Ozzie and Harriet Nelson on our twenty-one-inch black-and-white TV, I projected my future in wide-screen living color. Of course my life would be nothing less than perfect.

It didn’t take long for my imaginary universe to morph into reality as I transitioned from youth into adulthood. My latter teen years were peppered with the usual girl drama, heartbreak, and life adjustments, most of which could be remedied, and yet they groomed me for the unalterable hard knocks that were soon to follow. 

I never envisioned my future to include a child with Down syndrome. In fact, at age twenty-seven, I’d never even heard of Down syndrome. Nevertheless, thirty-nine years this side of our daughter’s birth, I can’t imagine our journey taking any other course. Like many others who travel this road, we are blessed to accompany a child who experiences life at a slower pace and marches to the beat of her own drummer.

Perhaps, like me you’ve collided with a future you don’t recognize as our own, and you’ve found yourself in a procession you didn’t sign up for. I pray you know Christ. I can’t imagine walking this road (or any road) without Him.

Regardless of your challenge, Christ 
will always lead you to victory and is waiting for opportunities to reveal Himself along the way. In the mean time, your task is to keep in step and walk on the sunny-side, for with Christ we always have reason to hope. Walk on.

Now it's your turn to "get down." When your life takes an unexpected turn, what do you do to maintain a sunny disposition?

I always welcome your comments.

Keep your sunny side up,
Starr

Day 1 of a five-day series which first appeared at www.zookeepersministries.com