I have wondered if, at the end of our lives, God will show us that "normal" was the person who was blind; normal was the woman who had a strong limp because of her shorter leg; normal was the badly-burned man whose wisps of hair barely covered his scorched head; normal was the child with Down Syndrome. After reading the New York Times article "Prenatal Test Puts Down Syndrome in Hard Focus," it begs the questions: What is normal? Why is there such a push to end the life of a child who may require greater effort? I just want to know why so many OBs are so adamant that moms have prenatal tests to check for any difficulties. Is it to make sure they have the prenatal care needed so as to protect and sustain the life of their unborn child and to put them in touch with the proper support resources once their children are born? That is the hope. But, for many OBs, the reasons for their promotion of amniocentesis can easily make one wonder why, really. What is the push for testing?
I do not know what it like to make the sacrifices that so many parents do for children who have extra special needs or disabilities. But I do know that God creates each one of these children and has a plan for every one of them as well, including the parents who care for them. What a gift each one is. What joy they bring to so many other lives.
I caught myself sitting on the beach one beautiful afternoon, with Caleb to one side and our little girl to the other, just watching and admiring a family of four. The younger daughter had some type of disability and an affected way of walking. However, what spoke so much louder than the physical disabilities, was that of a pure, sacrificial, enjoyable love that the parents had for their teenage daughter. I have no doubt that their lives have been difficult in making various adjustments to meet their daughter's needs. But, how beautiful it was to watch them walk with their so-loved daughter and guide her into the ocean to enjoy life, a life that could have been ended depending on another's person's perception of "normalcy." Thank God they embraced her uniqueness, regardless of the sacrifices they would be asked to make, all for the love of their flesh and blood.
