Psalm 118:21-25
“Can you get her a smaller stuffed animal? She only has the use of one hand; she’ll never be able to hold a big one.”
The psalmist declares that God has done a miraculous thing. God has made something wonderful out of something that others rejected. Other builders declare the stone useless; God picks it up and said, “This is exactly what I need.” The psalmist says that, by doing this thing, God has become his salvation.
I return to the room with a small pink bear and the mother approves. I watch as she moves around her 25-year-old daughter’s bed with skill, concern, and gentle care. We talk as she repositions pillows, smooths sheets, and makes sure her daughter is completely comfortable. She adopted her child as a baby, fully knowing that she has extensive disabilities. She has been the only caregiver for her daughter throughout her life. “We just have each other,” she says, and her smile conveys her unwavering love for this child of God that others rejected.
Every day I see miracles, and very often the miracles come from the hands of the parents I meet. They are the greatest heroes I know, for they have chosen to love in ways that few of us are brave enough to do. Let us give thanks. Let us rejoice and be glad.
Consider
Think of someone you know who life has cast aside, rejected as unusable and unimportant. How could you be brave in that person’s life?
Pray
There are many days, dear Lord, when I think it would have been wiser if you had chosen someone else, a better stone than me. Thank you for keeping me, rough edges and all. Amen.