Looking into the face of an angel…

My wife was sitting in the doctor’s office with the air-condition running at full blast. She was there to accompany her best friend, Carol for her appointment with the gynecologist. The doctor looked up from the test results and said, “It looks like your baby may have Down’s Syndrome.” That threw Carol’s life into a turmoil. In the weeks that followed, it was like an emotional rollercoaster for the couple. They were afraid of what it will be like to raise a child with DS. What about the health of the child? What about all those medical bills and doctor’s visits? What is God’s purpose for this child? Questions just raced through their minds. Some friends and relatives even suggested that they abort the child as it is a huge financial strain to raise this child. But for all their fears and uncertainties, this was clear. The child is a gift from God and they will do their best to raise him.

That was about 3 years ago. My wife and I had been great friends with Carol and her husband, G who had just become a deacon in my church. And we decided that the best way to support them is to get involved in the life of this baby boy. So my wife and I became Jireh’s god-parents. As we live in the US, we had not seen Jireh for almost 2 years now. Finally, this year my wife and I had a chance to visit Singapore and we were excited to see our godson. It was an unbelievable experience. Carol and G brought Jireh over for dinner and it was such a joy to see him in those cool looking green spectacles. Jireh walked around the house like an inspector, stooping to examine any and every thing that piqued his curiosity. Then he climbed unto the piano and started banging away. He looked up and gave a mega-watt smile and then gave himself a clap. We wanted to hold him, but he kept running away. Finally after a night of persuasion, just when we had given up hope, he leaned over from his mother’s shoulders and stretched his arms toward me. I grabbed him and he just bundled into my arms. He redefined what it means to be a bundle of joy. I looked into Jireh’s smiling face and saw the face of an angel…

Over the last three years, I have often wondered how Carol & G coped with raising Jireh. I thought of the challenges and fears they must have experienced. I thought about the emotional and financial strains on their lives. And more than once, I offered up a cry to God for his mercies upon them. But that day, seeing this little angel run around, I realized that I missed the point of God’s work in their lives. God did not give Carol and G a burden, but He gave them his best blessing. G told me, “Jireh brings such a joy into our family. Through him, I have learnt to enjoy the simple things of everyday living. And I realized how I need to submit to God’s control over my life. I never expected that. God even used him to be a testimony to our friends and relatives who had advised us to abort him. ”

Looking at the face of that angel, I saw how short sighted I am. I needed Jireh’s green spectacles to see God’s work and will in my life. God uses the trials and difficulties of our lives to shape us and help us mature. They are often His best blessings. It is little wonder that James tells us to rejoice in trials. Personally, this is a timely reminder and I stand in awe of God’s personal interest in my insignificant life.