A beautiful boy!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time…” Eccl. 3:11

Before we were to meet our new handicapped foster child for the first time, the social worker warned us we would receive a shock.
She was right ~ we did experience a jolt, but then looked past the passive, empty-eyed child laying on the floor and saw a precious human being in need of love and care. He was only three years old and had been through so much already. His young parents couldn’t cope with his multiple handicaps, and saw him as a curse from God. Na’il was born with a rare combination of two syndromes, part of them deformed facial features.
The first time we were able to take him home for a visit, the little deaf and dumb boy immediately felt at home. The three older special needs children that made up our family accepted him like one of them, and even the dogs were happy to put up with him.

Through the years, against insurmountable odds, Na’il grew into a mischievous, often smiling boy who amazed everyone by the way he tackled problems and found a way to ‘tell’ what he wanted.

Our other children were dark haired and their skin brown tinted, and people often remarked that Na’il was the only one who looked ‘like me’. He was partially albino, with white hair, a very fair skin but blue eyes and a radiant smile. To me it was a compliment, and proof of God’s grace, working in the life of this special child.

We saw his beauty, his sweet character and precious soul, but were often rudely reminded that his outward appearance could trigger a gasping response. People sometimes turned away in shock and disgust, while children screamed and ran away. When that happened, we were grateful Na’il was deaf and at least couldn’t hear those responses.
But we, the professionals who worked with him and the people who accepted him as he was, saw him like a lovely flower lending its sweetness to each day. Na’il touched the lives of those he met in a kind and gentle way, just by being himself.

We live in a world where people spend thousands of dollars on facelifts, diets, body enhancement and trying to look ‘perfect’. God however, has a different opinion. In Samuel 17 we read how the people of Israel expected King Saul’s replacement to be a ‘film star’ type of man. But the Lord had young David in mind, and Samuel told the people in verse 17:
“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

We’ve noticed that people who either worked with special needs people, or had them in their family, always approached our boy with an open heart. He immediately responded to them. Sometimes, brave, curious children asked what was wrong with him. He liked them too.
I felt sorry for the people whose fear for the unknown made them miss the blessing of getting to know a precious soul. All they had to do was look past the deformities, into Na’il’s heart. Then they would see a boy, rejected by the world, but made beautiful by God.

He will do it!

Bible reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:28 –
“The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it!”

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” Martin Luther King Jr.

When you plant a tiny shoot of Chinese Bamboo, you can’t expect to see any growth for the first 4(!) years of its life. Except for faithfully watering it, you won’t see any signs of growth. This may seem rather discouraging, but in the end it will pay off, for in the 5th year, the tree may even grow to a height of 80 feet! Only because of the tree’s deep root system, is it able to handle such a rapid growth.

Kristi Holl used the example of the Bamboo tree in her book Writer’s First Aid. It was such an encouragement for me! For the last two years I had been writing, writing, writing, and sending articles and stories out with only little success.

The Chinese Bamboo tree taught me to continue to faithfully water my gift of writing, and to remember I am putting down roots, in preparation for whatever tree the Lord God wants me to become.

As I’m entering my third year as a writer now, my prayer is that it will become a tree that provides shade, a place where people can relax and be revived from the heat of day; enjoyment and happiness, because of its beauty; but above all: gratefulness to the Creator of all things.

The only thing I can do at the moment is to have faith in God’s wisdom, knowing that He wants me to develop my writing roots. To accomplish that, I have to continue to work hard, keep writing, and leave the type of tree I will become up to Him!

“He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.” B.C. Forbes

© Petra van der Zande.

Introduction to a new blog

Already for some time now I had been thinking in the line of composing some devotions - I have enough material to write about. However, finding the time is something else. And even a good thing, like writing devotions, can become a burden if you expect too much of yourself.
Thus, instead of committing (i.e. forcing) myself to a daily or even weekly post, I decided to take it as it comes. With the result that I wrote three in the last week! Which of course I'm not going to post all in one go. No, they'll be dished up one by one. This way, you can let it sink in, ponder about it and I hope and pray, will be encouraged by what I've shared with you.
For that's what life is all about - that we may continue to learn and grow in the knowledge of Christ who saved us by dying on the cross for our sins, and in doing so, giving us eternal life!

SOLI DEO GLORIA ~ to God alone be the glory!