Visible Reminders of God’s Grace

Last updated on: March 22, 2012 at 6:00 am by Tony Rossi

Visible Reminders of God’s Grace 2012-03-21T12:48:07-05:00 Tony Rossi

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

You may have heard about a recent court case in which an Oregon couple who gave birth to a daughter with Down syndrome sued their medical center and lab for failing to detect the chromosomal abnormality during the woman’s pregnancy. The couple claim they would have aborted the child if they had known about the diagnosis.

This may seem shocking, but it’s consistent with the fact that 90 percent of women terminate their pregnancies after their unborn children are diagnosed with Down syndrome. There’s a belief that the child will have a poor quality of life, and that the parents will experience an undue burden.

While it’s true that there are challenges to raising a child with Down syndrome, there’s a whole other side of the story that our wider culture needs to know. That’s why we at The Christophers are happy to recognize the moving and brilliantly written book, “A Good and Perfect Gift,” with a Christopher Award in our ‘Books for Adults’ category this year.

Written by Amy Julia Becker, it shares what happened in the two years after she and her husband, Peter, discovered their daughter, Penny, had Down syndrome soon after her birth. The author deserves credit for not sugarcoating her reaction to the diagnosis. She writes, “I could never have imagined the words mental retardation or birth defect being used in the same sentence as my child’s name. It was as if having kids had become an equation: youth plus devotion to God plus education equaled a healthy and normal baby….As if I were entitled to exactly the baby I had imagined, a little version of myself.”

That anxiety, however, was soon followed by normalcy: “[Peter and I] laughed that afternoon, when she wrinkled her forehead in alarm or looked around the room with a mischievous expression. When she was in our arms, it felt like it had when I was pregnant. Simple love. Abundant love. The complications dropped away.”

Worries returned in the ensuing months due to doctor’s appointments and problems with Penny’s heart and ability to hear. That was also the period when the first-time mother bonded with her child, when she came to see her not as a diagnosis, but “as our little girl.”

As a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and a frequent contributor to Christian websites (including Patheos), Becker came to examine her situation from a religious perspective. She used to believe that everything that was wrong in the world, including Down syndrome, was somehow a consequence of original sin. After Down syndrome moved from being an abstract idea to a concrete reality, she questioned her old ideas and wondered how her beautiful little girl could be a mistake in any way. That’s when Becker’s mother spoke a very basic truth, saying, “The only evidence of sin that I see in Penny’s birth is in how we respond to her.”

Becker writes, “I don’t know how to think about the fallen-ness of creation…Maybe [Penny’s] body is no less fallen than mine, and I just see it on a continuum that doesn’t exist in God’s economy. I am reminded of Flannery O’Connor’s characters, people as sacraments, visible reminders of God’s grace. Visible brokenness that only helps us understand who we all are—broken yet beloved.”

One of the many strengths of Becker’s writing is that she never adopts a harsh tone of condemnation toward those who have chosen differently than she did. She understands their fears because she’s walked through them herself. What she found is that the perfect love between parent and child opened her heart, and that of her husband as well, to an unexpected and immeasurable amount of joy. Now, Becker wants to help others see that truth, to see the joy and hope that are possible after having a child with Down syndrome. That’s why “A Good and Perfect Gift” is an ideal book for anyone, regardless if they’re pro-life or pro-choice. It’s a heartfelt and enlightening story that could literally save some lives.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

March 21, 2012

CHRISTOPHER AWARD WINNERS SPAN CULTURES TO HIGHLIGHT LIFE-CHANGING ACTS OF COMPASSION AND THE INHERENT DIGNITY OF EVERY HUMAN BEING

Next Post

March 23, 2012 The Road Not Taken

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Act One American Idol Andy Griffith Show Audrey Assad Baseball Bible Books Catholic Charities Christmas Christopher Awards Christopher Closeup Christopher News Notes Current Events Down syndrome Education Father Jonathan Morris Father Keller Films Forgiveness Fringe Government Hallmark History Holidays Humor Inspiration Leadership Lost Marriage Media Medical Military Movies Music NY Med Once Upon a Time Once Upon a Time Parenting Patheos Movie Club Person of Interest Politics Pope Francis Prayer Pro Life Saints Senior Citizens Signed Sealed Delivered Special Needs Sports Three Minutes a Day TV Uncategorized Volunteering Women Youth

Select a Month March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after the exile?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Zerubbabel Nehemiah Joshua Ezra