The One

 

My Vaeh girl! Isn’t she just captivating? Okay, so I’ll admit, I’m a little biased. Actually, I’m a lot biased and I couldn’t be prouder of my little team.

For those of you who don’t know, I welcomed my first child into the world in February of 2006. That child was my Vaeh and she was born with Down syndrome. I remember this day with perfect clarity and I never remember feeling sad or disappointed that she was born this way. Due to my lack of knowledge of this disorder, I remember feeling fearful and worried because I didn’t know what our future held, but I never felt cheated. I wanted to keep her exactly as she came to me. I had forever on my mind and the thought of losing her nearly broke me. I didn’t care that she didn’t meet society’s expectations or that some would view the quality of her life as low. Heaven and earth collided so that we could be together and together is the only thing I cared about because I knew our love could overcome anything.

Fast forward 15 years later…

On one particular afternoon, we found ourselves at a massive indoor playground. How we ended up there, I’m still not sure, but our family has a way of always seeking out adventure. Within minutes of our new finding, my family had taken over this playground and we were having a blast. I watched as my kids climbed through tunnels and maneuvered through obstacles. As always, my oldest son was leading the pack with his sisters and little brother right behind him. Their games always make me giggle because no matter where they are, they’re going on an adventure. However, it wasn’t long before Vaeh’s body was struggling to keep up. As much as her little heart wanted to go on that adventure, she was quickly reminded that her body was made just a little bit different. With a very flushed face, she decided to sit and was willing to let the others go on without her. However, Reeds stick together and as soon as her bottom hit the ground to find some rest, her sisters were there, rallying for her to get up! The adventure wasn’t over and they couldn’t, they wouldn’t go on without her.

So there I sat at a table in the middle of an indoor playground, sobbing uncontrollably, surrounded by dozens of parents, as God gripped tightly on my heart.

Matthew 18:12. "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

When I say I love to read the life and ministry of Jesus, I cannot put enough expression on that word LOVE! Jesus was a troubler! He welcomed and ate with sinners. He stood against oppressive religious systems. He rebuked the outwardly righteous and drew to the wicked. In Matthew 18, Jesus tells a story as he often did to help explain a spiritual truth. It was the infamous story of leaving the 99 to go get the one. I’d imagine that Jesus used this story because in His day, people understood the relationship between sheep and shepherds. I’d also imagine that it seemed strange that Jesus was telling them to leave an entire flock to go get the one.

You see, during our playground adventure, my kids played together. They were five strong! As they darted for another turn on the slide, they noticed Nevaeh had sat down. They weren’t five strong anymore, they were four strong. They felt the weight of her absence, the emptiness of no shadow. Instead of plunging forward, they turned around. They wanted to finish the race five strong.

Perhaps Jesus told the parable of the 99 because this is exactly the heart of the Father. He counts his kids. He notices when one goes missing. He takes heed when one has sat down or feels unable to finish the race. God is focused on eternity, but sometimes, I feel like we are earthly minded. This is why we fill our schedule. This is why we push forward with our agendas. It’s why we feel pressed, rushed, frustrated, and weary. This is why we are so focused on the crowd, and why we can’t see the one. But we are walking into Heaven one day and He will ask us about the one. Didn’t you notice them? How come you didn’t see them? You passed them on the street and saw them crying, but you didn’t stop. You had places to be. They tried to talk to you, but you felt like they didn’t fit into your circle. You didn’t see a need to be connected with them.

God’s heart aches for those that are not yet His. In 2021, he has certainly convicted my heart to SLOW DOWN. I took a long hard look at my schedule and wondered why it was so full of pointless, fruitless activities that only served to distract me from being His vessel. Now, I leave it all open and only go when He tells me to go. I’m not in a hurry anymore and He has given me opportunity after opportunity to focus on THE ONE. Sure, most will not remember my name and there’s nothing flashy about what I’m doing, except to THE ONE. If God sent His only son on a rescue mission, then I can trust my assignment is no different. I hear Him calling.

Where’s Tim?

Where’s Susan?

Where’s Bill?

Their missing from the Kingdom, but it's okay, I’ve asked God to send me. No more theology of standing around, waiting for them to come to me. I’ve got all the time they need and I’m not willing to cut anyone off. They are important to God.

Perhaps this is my calling and mine alone. Perhaps this is why God gave me Vaeh. All those times I had to hold her hand and walk slowly, while others raced ahead of us. I see it now and with everything in me, I have never been more thankful. Jesus left the 99 to go get the one, and today, I follow His example.