It's been a very busy summer
and it's just now slowed down enough to update my website. I'm not really sure if having a website is really that great
for me since I never seem to have enough time to come here. But I do know I like updating about Ryan and his progress.
I hear from people all the time about how much they enjoy reading about him.
That brings me to my post
today. I've had this on my mind for some time but have not put it into words. Ryan is six now. Many people don’t realize how old he is since he doesn’t talk and he is wobbly when he walks. They think he is a tall toddler. But in truth he is 6 and
should be in the 1st grade. He should be playing little league or
soccer. He should be reading his first words and writing his name. He should be learning to ride a bike without training wheels. But
as you know he’s not. He’s not even close.
So why do I bring this up?
I’ve had many people talk
and sometimes I think about Ryan and what a story he will have to tell when he is older about all the things he has been through.
I think about what a wonderful story
for Christ it would be for him to be able to minister to others after he has been healed or overcome his disabilities. It makes for a nice story don’t you think? But
over the summer, God showed me that he is using Ryan right now to touch people’s hearts.
For those who have not
had the chance to meet Ryan, well he is the most loving and happy child you will ever meet.
He always gives everyone a big “hi!” and is excited to see anyone we meet. I’ve
watched him yell, “hi” to a elderly gentleman in Walmart and cause a huge smile to come to a grumpy old man’s face. It happened with only one word. But it was pure and without
guile. It was from a genuine heart of love.
Recently, there was a man
in a group that we are a part of that seemed hard hearted. As a family, we saw
the man sometimes every week. I watched as the weeks went by as Ryan started
to work on the hard heartedness of this man. It was like the hot sun melting
ice on the pavement. By the end of the year,
I would watch the man’s face change as soon as he saw Ryan. God had used
Ryan to make a place for love in this man’s heart.
This summer I’ve watched
this happen over and over. It’s Ryan’s gift.
It’s God’s gift of love. The gift that if it was given by others, would
be rejected. But because God’s love is packaged in a little boy that has a pure
heart, who is genuine, and who has nothing to gain, it is accepted. Ryan plants
a seed of love in people’s hearts that makes space for Christ.
Ephesians 4:18 describes many people today:
“Their moral understanding
is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. They are alienated from the life
of God because of the ignorance that is deep seated in them due to their hardness of heart.”
All that from a hard heart! Wow.
I came to realize that
God is using Ryan now. I don’t have to wait until he can talk or “be normal”. Throughout the Bible God uses the imperfect to do His perfect will. It’s just the same for Ryan.
My little guy has a gift,
a gift of softening hearts and making room for Jesus and did I mention he is only 6?
Blessings!
Jen
