CORRECTED: The Pictures We Don't Show

Sorry that some of you received the post earlier today that wasn't the correct version!  Our internet wasn't working properly!  Here we go again:

“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, 

but the Lord looks on the heart.”

-1 Samuel 16:7b

Last weekend while I was out of town, Meade and my dad took John and Daniel to a local mall to have their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny.  This wasn’t just any Easter Bunny; this was the “Caring Bunny” who came to take pictures with children with special needs and their families.  The Bunny came in the morning, before the mall opened, to limit the sensory stimulation/overload for these children.  I am really touched these types of events exist.

Here is the best group shot:

However, here are just a few of the many “failed” attempts at capturing that perfect memory:

These pictures can make me cringe.  Not because of their precious subject but because of what these pictures represent… the difficulty, the pain, the waiting, the longing, that aching hope.   

The lack of head control, poor posture, tight arms, low tone in the face and trunk, the temptation to compare to other children his age…

These are the pictures we typically do not show.  Not because we aren’t honest but because so often we want you (and ourselves) to see past the pain…. To perceive the joy we have, to know John’s smile and personality, to grasp the blessing he is in our lives and to so many.  But also, we feel it is our duty to help John put his best foot forward in a world that already is set up to have so much going against him. 

And yet the reality is in both the smiley pictures and also the messy ones… hope realized and hope still waiting.

How often do we only put our best foot forward?  Presenting only one desirable side in our Christmas cards, on Facebook, in our blogs and email updates?  Striving to portray an illusion?

And yet we are reminded this week that Jesus displayed his messy pictures.  His tattered clothes.  His blood stained hands. His lowly posture hanging from a cross.  All hope seemingly lost. 

But He chose to publicly reveal Himself this way.  His outstretched hands.  A death so that we might have life.

On this week and always, we thank you Lord that you didn’t feel the need to put “your best foot” forward.

Happy Easter!   Christ is risen, risen indeed!

We are truly blessed!

"By his stripes, wounds, and mess, we are HEALED!"

Isaiah 53:5

The Pictures We Don't Show

“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, 

but the Lord looks on the heart.”

-1 Samuel 16:7b

Last weekend while I was out of town, Meade and my dad took John and Daniel to a local mall to have their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny.  This wasn’t just any Easter Bunny; this was the “Caring Bunny” who came to take pictures with children with special needs and their families.  The Bunny came in the morning, before the mall opened, to limit the sensory stimulation/overload for these children.  I am really touched these types of events exist.

Here is the best group shot:

However, here are just a few of the many “failed” attempts at capturing that perfect memory:

These pictures can make me cringe.  Not because of their precious subject but because of what these pictures represent… the difficulty, the pain, the waiting, the longing, that aching hope.   

The lack of head control, poor posture, tight arms, low tone in the face and trunk, the temptation to compare to other children his age…

These are the pictures we typically do not show.  Not because we aren’t honest but because so often we want you (and ourselves) to see past the pain…. To perceive the joy we have, to know John’s smile and personality, to grasp the blessing he is in our lives and to so many.  But also, we feel it is our duty to help John put his best foot forward in a world that already is set up to have so much going against him. 

And yet the reality is in both the smiley pictures and also the messy ones… hope realized and hope still waiting.

How often do we only put our best foot forward?  Presenting only one desirable side in our Christmas cards, on Facebook, in our blogs and email updates?  Striving to portray an illusion?

And yet we are reminded this week that Jesus displayed his messy pictures.  His tattered clothes.  His blood stained hands. His lowly posture hanging from a cross.  All hope seemingly lost. 

But He chose to publicly reveal Himself this way.  His outstretched hands.  A death so that we might have life.

On this week and always, we thank you Lord that you didn’t feel the need to put “your best foot” forward.

Happy Easter!   Christ is risen, risen indeed!

We are truly blessed!

"By his stripes, wounds, and mess, we are HEALED!"

Isaiah 53:5

Prayer and Childlike Faith

My (not so) little brother and me

Last weekend was a first for me.  I married off one of my little brothers!!!  Okay, technically, my parents married off William, but I’ve always liked to think of myself as part of the “parenting team.”  As the older sister, I have been very invested in how my brothers have turned out, and William and Cole get A pluses!  Haha!

All kidding aside, it was a joyful weekend and there is nothing like seeing your brother so supremely happy!  Monica is his dream come true and she is the answer to our prayers as well.  I love her both for William and as my friend --- here’s to finally having a sister and another female around!!

After giving my toast on Friday night at the Rehearsal Dinner, I was convicted by something I shared.  I worked on my toast all week, but it wasn’t until after I had given it that the Lord revealed the lesson in it for me! 

In my toast, I reflected on my relationship with William over the years, stating how he was my brother and playmate, then became one of my best friends as I saw how gifted, kind, and godly he was in his own rite in college, then he was our first responder when Warren died, and finally I came to see him as a future husband and committed to praying for his future wife as I took John on walks as a baby.  But before all these roles, my toast opened with how William was my prayer. 

When I was 2, I decided I wanted a brother… not just any sibling, but a brother.  Upon informing my mom, she encouraged me to pray and ask God for one.  By the time I was 3 years 4 months old, William was born and, honestly, I do not remember life without my brother in it. 

So here is the lesson: why don’t we pray like we’re praying for a brother?  How simple it was… I just prayed and asked God for the desire of my heart.  Unbeknownst to me, my parents had wanted to have another child.  Yet it wasn’t until I prayed for a brother that their dreams became a reality. 

I wish I could say I’ve continued to have that kind of childlike faith throughout my life!  Furthermore, I wish I could claim that life’s ups and downs haven’t taken a toll on my prayer life.  I imagine you have your own stories of unanswered prayers… years of waiting… disappointments… apprehension when it comes to even knowing how to pray or what to request.  How to pray as Christ taught us…?

Yet He did call us to pray.  He challenged us to pray for God’s provision, for His will on earth as it is in heaven, for soft forgiving hearts, for deliverance, and for His Kingdom to come. 

I think back upon m 2 year old self, and even though I struggle with my own disappointments, I am drawn to that child.  That child who simply assumed God was good and would delight in sending me a brother.  That child who was unaware of when it would happen and oblivious to any role I could play in manipulating my desired outcome.  I was just a child before her Father, asking for provision.  Giving Him my heart. 

Let’s attempt to pray with abandon, not expecting stones but rightly expecting bread from our heavenly Father (Luke 11:11).  Let’s relearn how to pray like we’re asking for a brother.

----

Meade, John, Daniel and I all had the privilege of being in the wedding.  John and Daniel made very handsome ring bearers.  It was a very special moment for us to get to walk down the aisle as a family… together, united, and strong despite our weakness. 

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 

the oil of joy instead of mourning, 

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

-Isaiah 61:3

Medical Updates:

-John had a very encouraging ophthalmology appointment on Wednesday with a new doctor.  He was very pleased with John’s vision and the health of his optic nerve.  For the first time in the history of John’s eye exams, neither strabismus (improper eye alignment: one or both eyes turning in or out) nor nystagmus (shaking movement of the eyes) were found.  Praise the Lord for continued improvement!

-John will also have his hearing evaluated next Tuesday morning.

-The hearing and vision checks are in preparation for an upcoming assistive technology appointment on April 2 in which John will have a thorough assessment and evaluation for a communication device.  We would love your prayers for this!

-Please pray for wisdom as to what is best use of John’s time, therapy-wise.  As you can imagine, there are so many things out there and we want to make the most of John’s time and effort.