“The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!” (2 Corinthians 5:17b MSG)

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“FLAWLESS”

by Debbie Allen

The Christmas music playing in the background of my Doctor’s office Waiting Room went unnoticed by the preoccupied crowd surrounding me. No one singing…just sitting in silent misery.  No one wearing smiles, just surgical masks to keep the germs from spreading. No reaching out to others in the spirit of the Season; just reaching for Kleenexes and hand sanitizers; strategically placed throughout the room. 

“Cough, sniffle, moan…cough, sniffle, groan!” These were the sounds permeating the air around me. After sitting in the midst of this symphony of sickness; I, too, found it easier to just succumb to the melody of my own misery than to continue straining to hear the Christmas music playing, through two plugged ears,.  I marveled at how easily we all exchanged the joyous sounds of the Christmas Season, for the pressing demands of our own immediate circumstances, especially in light of the prayer I’d just prayed earlier; asking God to “…reveal Himself to me in some special way during this Christmas Season.”  Of course, I assumed He’d wait until I was well to do His ‘revealing’ to me but… that is not God’s way.  He chose instead, to use my untimely sick-umstances as His sounding board for the Season!

Reaching for another Kleenex, I caught sight of two figures entering the waiting room. They weren’t the only people to enter the waiting area that morning, but they were the only two people I paid any attention to.  I could see they were father and son. Mom hurried into the room a few minutes afterwards. The father clasped his son’s hand tightly, while helping him into a chair across the aisle from me. After plopping him into the chair with great difficulty, the father sat down next to him. Then he turned to his son with a reassuring smile, asking, “Are you ok, Little Buddy?” His very words captured my attention because my husband and I often referred to our own boys, while they were growing up, as “little buddy.” However, this man’s “little buddy” was not a small child. I guessed him to be in his mid-fifties; and his Dad appeared to be in his eighties. This Little Buddy’s life also stood out as having been that one baby out of 691 babies in the United States every year, to be born with Down Syndrome. My initial reaction was one of compassion for both Little Buddy and his aged parents.  I even uttered a silent prayer, “Lord, please ease their burdens…bless them in this Christmas Season and beyond. “Opening my eyes and looking again in their direction, I saw Little Buddy flashing a crooked smile back at me; almost as if he somehow knew I’d just finished praying for him.  I returned a smile and then my eyes dropped back down into my magazine. Though my eyes retreated from this scene, my ears were still fully engaged in the conversation that took place between Little Buddy, his Dad, and a total stranger sitting on the other side of them.

Wriggling free from the jacket that bound him, Little Buddy proceeded to ask the stranger, “Did you know…I’m…I’m the present under the tree to my Dad and my Mom?”

Before the Stranger could even respond, Little Buddy added with enthusiasm, “And I’m the Christmas present and it’s about to be Christmas!”

“Well…Merry Christmas to you…” the Stranger responded to Little Buddy with a toothy grin.

“And congratulations to you, sir!” he added, reaching over to shake the Dad’s hand, with a wink.

Taking his son’s hand into his own, Dad reminisced for a moment, then fondly shared with the stranger, a story that Little Buddy had obviously, heard multiple times throughout his life.

“Yes…Curtis came to his Mother and I on the wings of many prayers.  We tried for over twenty years to have a child of our own…but couldn’t. We saw Doctor after Doctor; Specialist after Specialist, over the course of the next few years but, still nothing. We didn’t give up, instead…we dropped down to our knees.  There we stayed and there we prayed for a son so-o-o special that no other parent in this world could possibly raise him and love him like us. Those prayers were answered over fifty years ago.  On that Christmas Morning, Curtis’ Mother and I tip toed downstairs to open up all our packages; but we found one gift under the tree. Puzzled, we both knelt down beside it. It was beautifully wrapped in gold foil and tied up with red ribbon and a sprig of fresh holly. To our astonishment, we both heard something moving inside of that box! The tag attached to it read,

To: The Most Wonderful Parents in the World        

 With Love From: ???

Before revealing who the package was from, Dad stopped short, grinning.  Then he turned towards Little Buddy, asking, “Curtis…what was the name on the gift tag again? Who was it from?”

Obvious that this was a favorite part for him; with eyes wide opened and like a little child, Curtis blurted out, “GOD!  With love from GOD!” “And I’m the present under the tree to my Dad and my Mom…and it’s about to be Christmas!” Almost as soon as Curtis spoke these last words to the man on the other side of them, a nurse called his name out; motioning him in her direction.

Lifting my eyes from the magazine once more, I watched Dad pull Curtis back up onto his feet.  They exchanged a cheerful “Merry Christmas!” and a handshake with the stranger, then headed toward the nurse.  I watched Curtis wrap his fingers tightly around his Dad’s hand, like a little boy not knowing what lay ahead.  Dad steadied his own eighty-year-old legs as Little Buddy pressed into him heavily, in an effort to find support for every difficult step he took towards the nurse.  Mom walked on ahead of them both, still daubing her eyes with a tissue. Watching her, I had to wonder…was it the Dad’s beautiful telling of this aged couple’s life quest for a child that set Mom’s tears off?  Or were these the left-over tears from a long-ago sadness mingled with the joy they now shared in a Season so precious to them all? 

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“Moments that should’ve been filled with bubblegum cigars, laughter, and joy were instead, replaced with the words,‘ Down Syndrome,’ reverberating in the depths of their souls.”

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Though I can’t speak for this Mom, I know it must have been difficult to have traded away all of the dreams they dreamed as a young couple for their child, for this very unexpected reality they’d faced. I can’t imagine what thoughts must’ve gone through their heads in those first few moments after giving birth.  Moments that should’ve been filled with bubblegum cigars, laughter, and joy were instead, replaced with the words, Down Syndrome; reverberating in the depths of their souls.

Yet…I find it amazing that Dad’s story never reflected that place of pain and suffering where this couple’s journey began. It didn’t dwell on the countless tears that must’ve been spilled over the years, or the death of all their own dreams in life.  Dad’s story celebrated the new birth of an only son, a gift God gave them one special Christmas morning, in answer to their endless prayers for a child of their own! Not just any son, but “…a son so-o-o special that no other parent in this world could possibly raise him and love him like them.”

In spite of all the uninvited complexities that accompanied raising their special needs child, and the unforeseen sacrifices required of them for more than five decades; Dad’s precious story only reflected this couple’s choice to celebrate their son’s birth…believing with all their heart that Little Buddy had a story worth sharing with the world; not in spite of his disability but, because of it.

I watched Little Buddy leaning heavily upon his Dad, fingers still entwined. My final glimpse of the two of them, was of them struggling, one painful step at a time, down the trail of tears Mom left behind on the carpet; following the nurse down the corridor.  The very sight of this trio in that hallway, remains forever-etched on my heart. Never have I ever been so keenly aware that I was beholding something very, very, precious in God’s Sight.  As I watched their silhouettes disappear into the dimness of that corridor, I heard God Whisper one word down into my spirit, “Flawless!”

Within the next few moments, I felt God’s Hand writing His Christmas story on my heart.  It was anything but typical. There was no stable to be seen, just a dimly lit, Doctor’s waiting room.  No Angels singing from the realms of Glory; only muffled Christmas carols, drowned out by a symphony of sickness. This scene was missing three Wisemen bearing gifts; but offered me three wise strangers, bearing unseen gifts from their hearts to mine. I never saw Baby Jesus laying in a straw-filled manger; but, without a doubt, Jesus was present right there in front of me… living, moving, and breathing inside each of these gentle, strangers!

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“Never have I ever been so keenly, aware that I was beholding something very, very precious in God’s Sight!”

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Though some time has passed since this day, I’ve never lost the feeling of having stared right into the faces of Faith, Hope, and Love in-the-flesh! Many in the waiting room that day, may have considered these three gentle strangers to be just another of this world’s flawed pictures in life.  However, God revealed them to my heart as “Flawless.” I understood right away what He meant.  Consider the way that the father, wholly and unconditionally, loved his only son…remember the way Little Buddy clung-to and leaned into his Father, trusting him for every painful step he trudged into the unknown…and marvel at the way Mom chased after new and enduring hope, in spite of setbacks and her own trail of trials and tears. This scene is not a picture of flawed living. It’s a grand reflection of how each of us are called to live out our lives before others; especially in light of our flawed world.  We are to become someone else’s living reflection of Faith, Hope, and Love; no matter what life throws our way.

Those three wise strangers who crossed paths with me in my doctor’s waiting room; unknowingly, left behind three of the most precious gifts that I, or any of us, could ever receive.  Beautiful stories of Unwavering Trust, Undeniable Love, and Unswerving Hope. Together, they unite to become the indisputable reminders to our hearts that the Heavenly Father’s Love is still alive, active, and living on this earth.

 Faith…Hope…Love…never forget them.  They are Flawless Gifts from the Heavenly Father’s Hand to our frail hearts.  Gifts He chooses to use over and over again in our lives…to reflect Himself-in-us to others; and to sustain and teach us as we journey steadfastly through this flawed world; down the paths each of us are called to walk on in this coming New Year. 

“…the earth is filled with His Tender Love!” (Psalms 33:5 MSG)

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PRAYER- Dearest Heavenly Father, New beginnings usher in new Hope for all our tomorrows, as yet, unseen. Help us to shift our focus as we step into those tomorrows, enabling us to see more than just the immediate circumstances surrounding us. Supply us the strength and compassion to become those Gentle Strangers in the lives of others; choosing to be someone else’s Faith…Hope…and Love gifts, left behind in this flawed world. Reflecting You, Lord, should be our greatest priority in this New Year. May we do so with Grace and Humility. Make us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful You have prepared for us in the days ahead! In Jesus Name…Amen.