10/31/2017
A post by Jim Ennis:
The Face of Down Syndrome in The Face of Jesus?
Grace of the Day
I was talking to a friend who was talking about his business. Well that wasn’t the topic of conversation until he started to explain why his phone kept buzzing. It was on silent, but that didn’t keep it from alerting him that others wanted his attention. After several interruptions, he apologized and told me it was a busy time of year in his business, and sometimes clients can forget that a lot of other people depend on his services as well (while he was with me, his employees were hard at work carrying on the business he runs). That’s when he said something to me that turned out to be “the grace of the day.”
What do I mean by “grace of the day?” I forget where I first came across the idea, but it is one way to become fully conscious of God’s presence throughout your day, which is what I strive for each and every day. How does one do that when they are focused on their work? Is it possible for students trying to get good grades or mothers who can’t find a time where the daily demands of raising children means their only “quiet time” is the couple of minutes in the bathroom? I have to believe it is!
In Sanctuary of the Soul, Richard Foster writes,
“Formal times of prayer merely join into and enhance the steady undercurrent of quiet worship that underlies our days. Behind the foreground of daily life continues the background of heavenly orientation.”
God is always with us. In order for us to always be with Him, our part is to do our best to stay awake to the spiritual realities; this “heavenly orientation” continually taking place in the background of the very ordinary stuff of life. One way I try to do that is to keep my eyes and ears open to whenever and wherever grace appears, because as many writers on the spiritual life have noted, “grace is everywhere.”
It is a good practice to review your day before going to sleep. Don’t we do that anyway? While trying to fall asleep, we rehearse certain conversations that took place that day or need to take place the next day? Isn’t it easy to re-live encounters we experienced throughout the day or week — some good and some not so good? Since our active minds have a hard time quieting down anyway, why not look for the times we saw God’s grace break in that let us know God was present?
The unexpected act of kindness from a stranger; the “lucky” provision that met a serious need, whether it be a check in the mail, helpful information you were lacking, or the unexpected collaboration of a colleague not known for being generous; the coincidental bumping into a friend that brightened your day; the spontaneous hug from a child when
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The Face of Down Syndrome in The Face of Jesus?
you’re thinking what a thankless job parenting can be - all of that is grace breaking into our busy lives reminding us that God is near.
So back to my “grace of the day.” What was it that he said that meant so much to me? While talking about how demanding certain clients can be, he said there was one particular group of people that show him kindness and affection every time he encounters them.
“There’s this one home where people with Down Syndrome all live together. They are the nicest people I know.” Then, not knowing how much I know about this, he started telling me how people with Down Syndrome were born with one more chromosome than people without Down Syndrome. And just when I thought he was going to say something I have heard from so many others, things like, “I just love Down Syndrome people. They’re always happy and they all have the greatest smiles,” he didn’t. It’s not that those characteristics aren’t true, because I know just what they mean. There is something about the way people with Down Syndrome smile that cheers you up when you’re “down.” But “they” are not “always happy.” “They” like everybody else have good days and bad days — times when they feel sad or angry or frustrated or moody. The problem with lumping every person with DS together is that it robs them of their individuality. You don’t have to get to know the particular personality of a person because you already think you know everything there is to know about them.
But like I was saying, just when I thought my friend was going to say something trite, he actually said something I thought was rather profound. He went on to say, “With all that’s going on in the world today, I think what all of us need is that one extra chromosome. It would make the world a much better place.” Now even though I know this is still too much of a generalization of what all people with DS are like, and could even sound a bit insensitive when you think about all the challenges and health issues people with DS face, I also knew it was coming from the limited experience he had with those with DS. He just thought the world could use more of whatever it was that made those clients a lot easier to deal with than others. And since he wasn’t aware of my intimate knowledge of someone with DS and the way it impacts not only their lives, but the lives of their parents and siblings, I know he wasn’t saying this just because he didn’t know what else to say. In fact, he didn’t even stop there. He went on to say, “You know something, when I die and see God face to face, I wouldn’t be surprised if he looks just like someone with DS.” That was true grace to my ears and heart. Then I thought about a verse in the Bible that speaks of “Christ, who is the image of God,” and “the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4,6).
And it made me wonder...
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The Face of Down Syndrome in The Face of Jesus?
Is it possible that Jesus has somewhat slanted, almond-shaped eyes that sparkle with kindness that can melt the coldest of hearts?
Does He scrunch up His round face and smile a lot, lighting up a room so that everyone else smiles with Him, no matter how sad or “down” they might be feeling?
Does He have small ears and a cute flattened nose?
Would the countenance of His face disarm the most grumpy, self-guarded person there is? If so, then my friend was right, and the face of Jesus may actually look a lot like someone with Down Syndrome. He might just look like my granddaughter, Brinley Joy, because she too is made in the image and likeness of God.
On this final day of Down Syndrome Awareness month, may we all be more aware of individuals with DS. God may use one of these precious people to reveal the grace of God and His loving presence to you. After all, Brinley Joy is pure grace to her parents, her brother, aunts, uncles and cousins, her grandparents, yes and even strangers. I have seen people who are lonely, stressed, self-absorbed, stop and smile as Brinley Joy opens wide her arms to be picked up and offer grace to any who would receive it. I only pray she will experience grace from others.
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