One year ago today Raleigh Elyse came to Earth, and shortly thereafter, went back home. I’ve considered what happened and I wonder. I want to understand even though Jesus plainly taught, interestingly, in an illustration about breath, the wind we see the effects of every day, how a baby is formed in the womb, and the infusing of the Spirit . . . He said we can never understand God’s ways.
I looked on anxiously as my children were born. There was a moment when it seemed as though some unseen person blew into their mouths/nostrils and suddenly they gasped for air; their eyes opened widely. They were alive! I admit, I still get chill bumps. Their births began a life of sacrifice for Patti and me. Just like any other parent. I believe it never ends as long as we’re here on Earth. Our children are always grateful for our love and kindness, and I always tell them the truth: “I don’t HAVE to do this; I GET to.”
But what is the meaning of Rayleigh? Recently I stumbled upon a story about a woman who became a mother. She had some difficulty adjusting to her change of lifestyle. Still young, she was used to doing whatever she pleased on Friday and Saturday nights. Now everywhere she went she had stained clothing from spit-up and the smell of— well, baby fluids about her. And if she left the house, she first had to find a baby sitter. The former things had passed away. She tended to fret that her life had become ‘meaningless.’
A friend told her that her act of welcoming her child into the world is the very act so highly regarded by Jesus at the judgement: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me.” This story spoke to me.
Who gets hungrier than a newborn? Who is more naked? Who is more a stranger than an infant who knows no one? Who gets sick more often than children? But someone may challenge, “How can caring for your own child result in a heavenly reward?” I believe people who ask such a question don’t understand that the children we raise are actually not ours. God’s creation; God’s child. Loaned to us like the breath we take and life we eventually give back. And don’t miss this, “Whatever you did for one of the LEAST of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me!”
Rayleigh’s Mom and Dad resolved to risk their health/life together to welcome and love this little girl without condition; she was a sick, hungry, naked, failing stranger who had no chance to live very long. Additionally, Rayleigh’s parents were chided and urged to put an early end to a life that wasn’t ‘normal.’ But they held to their belief that God always has a purpose.
Rayleigh’s 38-minute life impacted many! Some of us forever. Solomon once wrote, “Without the hand of God, our lives would have no meaning—it’s like chasing after the….wind. Don’t chase the wind, embrace it! Thank God for your breath. I cannot understand God’s ways, but I know he is always good. I know that HIS creations, no matter how insignificant to us, give Him great joy! He exists. We are all His children, and if we choose the way of love, kindness, and compassion, many will be blessed; who knows what great things are yet to be? Not because of who WE are, but because of who He IS and the purpose he had in creating us. Including Rayleigh. Joyous birthday #1, my 'radiant, delicate, oath of God!'
gary@mypericope.com.
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