Friday, October 4, 2013

Seeing Jesus in Down's Syndrome

I recently ran across this ESPN video of a man and his personal struggle with having a child with Down's Syndrome. It will move you because it's about...
Pride and Selfishness.
Shame and Repentance.
Hope and Redemption.
It's about the sanctity of life and the glory of love.



Heath was so desperate to demonstrate his perfect love for his imperfect child that he had a tattoo etched on his body. Reminds me of another who did the same...
"See I have engraved you in the palm of my hands..." -Isaiah 49:16
You will see glimpses of the divine love in this life. But only in Jesus will you see it for eternity.
And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. -Rev 22:5

Peter & Kim


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

When You Want to Punch a Christian in the Face

"Don't Worry God Won't Give You More Than You Can Handle!" -Joe Christian
*pfffffftttt* Whatevers.

How many times have you heard that line from a well-meaning Christian friend in one of your lowest moments and you couldn't think of anything that would be more cathartic than punching him/her in the face?

Ran across this great blog post recently confronting this statement and found it surprisingly refreshing: "Confronting the Lie: God Won't Give You More than You Can Handle".

I think there are plenty of times that God will give you more than you can handle.

Way more.

I felt it in the touch and go moments of Kim's cancer. I felt it in the darkest moments of stress, anxiety and depression. I've felt it way more than I'd like to admit. Yes, there are times when I feel like Paul when he says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13) but there are more times when I resonate with Paul when he writes:
"We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death... -2 Cor 1:8
Sometimes God WILL give you more than you can bear..."far beyond your ability to endure" and to the point where you "despair of life itself"...