Live Your Purpose
My husband and I both grew up in church, and for many years we went through all the motions…putting on our Sunday best, warming the pews every service with our bibles in hand, never voicing our flaws, sticking to our christian circles, and doing our best to just fit in. We thought we were making God so proud. (Insert eye roll.)
However, not long after our son, Deacon, was born with an unexpected diagnosis of Down syndrome, we began to realize that we were totally missing the point. We could no longer just blend in with those around us if we tried. For so long we lived in a bubble and put on this facade of having it all together, but we were at a place in our lives where there was no way to hide what we really were, a big broken mess. We were forced completely out of our comfort zones, and at first it was a huge and lonely struggle. But it didn’t take long for us to realize that God was doing a transformation on our hearts and minds through our son.
Deacon’s unconditional love began to teach us to love more unconditionally. He shifted our focus from caring less about what people think to caring more about others and what they were going through. His differences taught us to appreciate those of others. His struggle to reach milestones taught us to not take things for granted. His zest for life made ours greater. He completely broadened our horizons and our circle of influence.
We fully believe that God gave us Deacon to reveal to us the gross, ugly parts of ourselves, to open our eyes to a broken, hurting, lost world that we previously turned a blind eye to, to better comprehend the true meaning of the Gospel, and to create a greater desire in us to truly live it out.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
God used our son to give us the freedom to be different. To do things that we feel Him leading us to do even if they don’t make sense to those around us. And to fully live in the purpose of who He made us uniquely to be.
We also believe that He gave us Deacon to bless our socks off because, he is the most joyful and hilarious human being ever! Where we once felt completely unqualified to be his parents, we now feel completely unworthy of such a gift.
I encourage you to read through Romans chapter 12 in it’s entirety and accept the daily challenge of living in your purpose, letting go of comparisons, appreciating differences, loving others, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and being who you were meant to be. What a boring world it would be if we were all the same!
Read more from Andrea on her blog, “Be the Light Project,” or connect with her on Instagram!
