Accepting vs. Embracing

Vivian had a pretty tough seizure this morning.  She got through it thanks to God's continual blessing of determination and is now resting peacefully.

I'm always mad after she has a seizure.  But today even more so, because she was feeling so good (even she said so) right before...and coming up with lyrics to a song - and then singing them.....all at 6 in the morning. 

I delighted in watching her put together her song, quitely encouraging, but as I've learned, observing from a distance.  Can't rush these creative types.

"Hey honey hey honey hold on tight.  Everything is gonna be all right tonight."

Is it like she knew?  And yes, I sang her those lyrics over and over as she came out of her seizure, hoping they'd give us both strength.

And as I laid next to her after the seizure was long gone, something popped into my head.

We're often encouraged to be accepting of people with "differences" or "challenges."  But the more I think about it, that's crap.

We should be doing better, doing more than that.  We should be embracing those differences.

I recently started reading a blog by a mom whose son has cerebral palsy, brought on by a stroke he suffered right after birth.  Like any parent with a special needs child, this mom has gone through the gammut of emotions, and they have lead her to the realization that we need to focus more on what God has given us and less on what we feel that he has taken away.

With our society as it is, this is hard.  We compare ourselves so much to one another that we forget to look at those unique qualities that make each of us shine.

Sure, Vivian can't run as fast as other kids, but when we walk through the gates of heaven someday, is that how we're going to be judged?  I don't think Father Al has ever alluded to that in any of his sermons on Sunday morning. 

We're going to be judged by the size of our hearts and how we use that heart to benefit others.  Vivian has the biggest heart of anyone I know. 

So when we catch ourselves teaching or practicing acceptance - stop, and look further.  Do better.  Embrace.

And then celebrate.