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Birthday’s are really anniversary’s; days you celebrate your birth. This day is for me is both an anniversary and a birthday celebration. Five years ago on this very day God chose to gift me with Gracie Muriel Harris and just as importantly He used the opportunity to make a new man of me; I needed both.

Just after Gracie’s birth we learned that she was born with Down syndrome; this was a major shock to the system since we had been told that all was fine with Kim and the baby. Five years ago I walked through one of if not the longest days of my life; this is the anniversary of that day.

Shortly after her birth I wrote a devotional titled “A Busy God”. I spoke of all the ways God intervened in my life to walk with me through one of those ‘punch to the gut’ type of days. Looking back on things now this is what I am positive of; God is always a busy God!

Instead of being busy walking me through a crisis moment He has since been busy making me a different person using the life of a special needs child to do it.

I love Gracie with all my heart but with her comes the lesson of patience. We prayed for the day she would walk and rejoiced with that day. Since that time though we have said this phrase every day ten times a day; ‘where is Gracie’. She like her father cannot be trusted and we have to know where she is at all times. There is no break with this either, let up for a second and you will find yourself dealing with a mess you would have never dreamed of. Gracie is a 24 hour a day job, that is not a complaint just a fact of life. A busy God gave us a busy girl!

He has taught me patience to deal with the stares of people who don’t understand or don’t care to try. Oh we get stares everywhere; some are good ones of people making contact with Gracie for a smile or wave. While others are of those who see her as something to be examined or pitied, in our world of tolerance a special needs child that looks different of acts different still draws a lot of attention. God reminded me who I was before January 27th, 2006 and has given me patience to understand.

My busy God has taken the last five years to make me understand true compassion as opposed to just having me preach on it. It is one thing to preach or teach about a loving God it is another thing to have to learn to rely on it daily. It is one thing to say you love everyone, the misguided, the poor, the disabled and it is another to learn how to love that way in your own home. Yes, He is a busy God.

God has taken the last five years to show me I wasn’t the best at being a friend in the past or even the best family member. He has taught me how change and crisis can reveal those who truly love and how to truly love back. He showed me how especially in the difficult moments people can shine their best, show mercy, love and kindness. Then he turned the light on me and showed me how I had some work to do.

He has reminded me that talk is cheap and actions show the true desire of the heart.

Perhaps the toughest lesson but best has been his education on how to be a real husband. I realize now what a pretender I was. He taught me how to love a wife in the ways that count, not just the ways that benefit me. Taught me how to sacrifice some of my needs and how much sacrifice goes into meeting mine. God has taught me to ‘man up’ and be responsible for my family and not leave a heavy burden on Kim. A busy God indeed, unfortunately he has much work to do.

This is the anniversary of God beginning a real transformation in my life; not one of words and theology but one of action and reality. Had I been given the choice I would have never chosen this form of transformation. But He is not only a busy God but a wise one and I have learned His presence is a gift.

Today Gracie is five; she will be busy, her eyes will get as big as saucers as she looks at presents and enjoys the love of her family. She will boss me around which is her favorite sport, she will answer the phone before we get there and in general be herself. She will make us laugh and remind us that her repaired heart has a capacity to love that all of us normal people could use a heavy dose of. She will never know the lives she has affected and how her birth began a transformation of her dad’s heart. But no doubt I will thank God for her and the opportunity for change.

I will praise God for all of the family and friends that have walked with us through these first five years of Gracie’s life and how God used them to teach me so many things. I will thank God for her good health and happy attitude when I know things could have been far more difficult.

Today I say Happy Birthday Gracie, I love you! I also say thank you Lord for giving me an anniversary to celebrate, an anniversary of a changed heart, I love you too!

Dear Lord, thank you for not just being busy on the tough days but in each day.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:27-28, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,”

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank you that you are busy in our lives; giving comfort, love, support and most of all showing us where we need to adjust our ways to be more like yours. We ask that you never let us go and we have confidence that you will not. We ask these things in the name of Christ, Amen.


Simple/truths 161 written by Richard Harris for more simple/truths go to simple-truths.net.
If you live in the Dallas area you can purchase Simple Truths Volume I for a suggested donation of 20 dollars to Our Hands, His Heart. For further purchase information reply back to richardgrl@aol.com. If you do not live in the Dallas area you can purchase Simple Truths Volume I at simple-truths.net.