Holy Ground

Reid will be baptized this Saturday in the ocean near our house. I am not sure exactly what to expect but I hold myself open to some awesome possibilities. We are setting apart holy ground by calling upon the name of the Lord. Since He will be present, it will be grand! 

Sara Groves wrote the song, "What Do I Know," about her friendship with a senior approaching death. She can't imagine what heaven is like, nor can her friend. But we can trust God's word and what He promises is all good. Click the link to hear the song or read some of the lyrics here:

Well, I don't know that there are harps in heaven,
Or the process for earning your wings.
And I don't know of bright lights at the ends of tunnels,
Or any of these things.

But I know to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord,
and from what I know of him, that must be pretty good.

I remember Allie's baptism last October. It was as if the words of the Lord's Prayer became reality--"your kingdom come, here on earth as it is in Heaven." God enters into our existence in a tangible way through the sacrament of baptism and through the praises of His people. Although marriage is not a directive from God, it is a similar public profession before God and man. Take a minute to view this clip; the wedding scene from The Other Sister.

Purity of heart is beautiful to God. From His perspective and compared to His perfection, we must all seem impaired and helplessly disabled yet, nonetheless dear to Him.  In this clip, the couple fumbles over the mechanics of exchanging their vows. Ironically, it is the very fumbling that amplifies the meaning and passion of their intent. Their joy cannot be suppressed and they manage to express more through their disability than any "normal" couple I've ever seen. Their experience becomes universally enviable. I end up wishing for what they have: the ability to be wholly honest, genuine, and natural.

Reminds me of another song. "Undignified" by Dave Crowder band is a call to live for God and not for man.  This link will let you listen to the lyrics which are straight out of 2 Samuel 6 when King David dances naked in the street before God much to the dismay and scorn of his wife, Michal.  She is worried about many things primarily their reputation.  As it says, "Nothing Lord should hinder the passion in my soul."  Reid and others walking among us with autism--in spite of or maybe because of their diagnoses--live this out.  Reid could care less what others think of him.  Hard as we try to teach him a social consciousness, he remains refreshingly uninhibited and undaunted in his joy in the Lord, his affection for others and his love of life.  Woe to me to un-teach this exuberance. God must enjoy him as much as He did David.

Could this be one of God's reasons for allowing disability? Could it be for our benefit? Are there lessons we (neurotypicals) can learn only through their example?

We spend a lot of time, money and effort teaching Reid social appropriateness (a word I have come to despise). While it is critical for his future on this earth, I wonder how necessary it will be in eternity. Just for Saturday, I "will lay my pride by the side" as the Dave Crowder song says, and let Reid be who he is before God and man (even if that means dancing naked on the beach). Did I say that?

David said to Michal, "I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." 2 Samuel 6:21-22

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Ephesians 3:19-21

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

photo credit:  leucadia.blogspot.com