joy in the little things

Yesterday, as my parents and sister were visiting with us, we looked up to see an amazing sight--David, our oldest son, inched his way forward, twice, in an army crawl. At three years old David is still learning the fundamentals of sitting-up and mobility. David was born with a genetic disorder called Cornelia de Lange Syndrome that impacts his life in every area including cognitive delay, gross and fine motor delay, speech delay and a number of other areas most of us take for granted. When David was born three years ago it was the most painful and devastating moment in our lives.

I found myself reflecting on all this a great deal as Pastor Tim preached on Matthew 14:1-13 --Why Do Bad Things Happen to Godly People?--yesterday morning. An eternal perspective truly changes the way we see and live our lives in the face of the sometimes brutal realities of life. What a great reminder that...

• The world is broken. Humankind is in bondage to sin.
• The universe is at war. Spiritual Kingdoms are clashing.
• Our lives are small. God is big, good and sovereign.
• Our earthly lives are short. Eternity is forever.

These are the truths out of which Lisa and I live. David's extraordinary life has redirected our family's eyes to eternity far more than any class I've taken, books we've read, or experiences we've lived through.

As we watched David make these movements last night we had the privilege to witness his progress alongside David's former teacher, Robbin, who has spent hours in the hard labor of teaching him to use his body and interact with his world. This wondrous moment opens my eyes afresh to the often-unknown impact our lives make on others through the repetitive consistency of our daily labors. Thank you Robbin for your influence on our son!

David is the source of so much joy in our lives today. We see the Lord's uncompromising faithfulness in the grace He supplied three years ago, in the love David gives & receives and in all the progress David makes in every little thing.