Once in a while we receive gifts that aren’t exactly what we had hoped for. Fourteen years ago I received one such gift. We were expecting a baby which is exactly what we got. What we weren’t expecting was a baby with Down syndrome.
Those early days were hard I confess, but the sadness and difficulties pale in comparison to the joy we receive from our precious boy.
As I look back now, I can say with confidence that even if I could, I would not exchange this gift for a different model Josiah. Down syndrome is a big part of who he is. But it is just one of the many parts that make him the wonderful person he is. Without Down syndrome he wouldn’t be Josiah.
While Josiah wasn’t the gift we were expecting, he is exactly the gift we needed!
In my book I share a bit about Josiah’s birth.
I was forty-one when Josiah was born, so statistically, I had a one-in-forty chance of having a child with Down syndrome. Brad had a beautiful response to that statistic. He claimed our chances of having a child with Down syndrome were 100 percent because that is the child that God had for us. Nothing happens by chance!
The Bible tells us that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).
God’s character does not change. God is good – therefore he cannot give bad gifts.
Bible teacher Kay Arthur is known for saying that whatever comes into your life is filtered through God’s fingers of love.
The Gift of Adversity
The Bible records the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery as a teenager by his brothers. They saw the distress of his soul when he begged them, but they did not listen (Genesis 42:21).
He ended up in Pharaoh’s court in Egypt where things went well with him for a while until he was falsely accused and imprisoned for many years.
Joseph experienced much adversity in his life. Yet, despite his distress, he accepted his circumstances with grace. When he met his brothers again years later, he was able to say, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
The adversity that Joseph experienced put him in a position to save many lives.
When God is the one giving us a gift, we can have the confidence that despite all appearances, the gift is good.
What unexpected gifts have you received?
Preach it sister! What a great reminder and new applications to help with life!!!
Thanks, Penny. It’s a great reminder for me too! 🙂From time to time, we all need to be reminded that God’s gifts are always good.
Our children are Perfect Gifts…each of them! Fully agree, God plans and delivers perfectly every time!
Our world is better, more enriched by each of our kids, but especially by our green eyed, blond haired, hilarious prankster Darby…who also happens to have DS. 😉
We would not have grown into the better human hearts we are today without him…exactly as he is❤️
Absolutely Christy. We can also thank our beautiful boys for bringing us together as friends. We would most likely have walked right past one another in the supermarket that day about twelve years ago had it not been for the boys. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing. I was 39 when I finally conceived Victoria. I was 40 when Victoria was born. My doctor asked me if I wanted to be tested and I said “absolutely NOT”. All children are gifts from the Lord and I’m so grateful for the treasure that God trusted me with. I met your son when he was little and right a way I fell in love with him. He truly is God’s gift as all the other children. Praise God for He is an amazing creator!
Thanks for your comments, Susan. You are absolutely right that ALL children are gifts from the Lord.
Love this chapter! Though I don’t have a DS child I can certainly understand the unexpected and not necessarily desireable gift becomes the most cherished when seen from the eyes of our Father!
Thank you for your comment. Although I used having a child with Down syndrome as an example it was my hope that my readers would be able to relate with their own experiences.
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We were at the hospital shortly after that precious gift arrived. When I first saw Josiah, I instinctively knew that he was a special child. Grandad and I were concerned about how Denise and Brad would be able to cope. Recognizing Josiah’s potential, with patience and diligence they did all they could to help him achieve it. We can now see, 14 years later, that they have done an amazing job and Josiah has developed into a charming and intelligent young man. God can do wonders when we are willing to cooperate and accept his will. Gran
Thanks Mum! ❤️