Making Sense of Things Part 2

The newest member of our congregation was born last week. Mercy Elizabeth is a beautiful, precious baby girl. You can read about her story using the following URL, http://m.caringbridge.org/visit/mercywhitfield. I had the privilege of visiting Mercy and her parents, Rodney and Allison Whitfield in the hospital last week. Mercy was born with a rare chromosomal defect called Trisomy 13, meaning she's unlikely to survive long. Its not for want of faithful prayer. Between our church and First UMC Richardson where Rodney works as an associate pastor, there are thousands of prayers being made to God. To look upon this tiny baby and know her odds of surviving, its easy to conclude like Job, sometimes there's no making sense of things. And yet I am continually moved by the incredible grace of this family and their thankfulness for what time they have with their child. They see Mercy's birth as a miracle, not a tragedy. They treat each day, each moment they have with her as a gift from God. As a pastor, I've been fortunate to see hundreds of newborns but I've never witnessed a child more cherished, more celebrated, more the focus of attention. I'm sure at times Mercy's parents struggle with the "why" and are clearly grieving, but I have no doubt that their faith in God has never been stronger. In fact, they have described the support they are getting from family, friends and church as evidence of God's presence with them. Yesterday I learned just prior to the 11:00 service that Mercy's lungs are wet meaning she will probably only live a couple more days. My heart wants to frame this as a tragedy but Mercy Elizabeth's parents have challenged me to see it otherwise...that Mercy's short but beautiful life is a gift from God and a glimpse of the Kingdom of God, where the least of us become the greatest.