I Saw What Heaven Will Be Like
Last night, Brenda and I attended the Joy Conference at First Baptist Church of Concord. The Joy Conference is a two-day conference on disability put on by the church and the local chapter of the Joni and Friends ministry.
As many of you know, Brenda and I are the proud parents of a red-headed teenager named Fletcher. Fletcher struggles with severe autism, epilepsy, and intellectual impairment.
So, as you can imagine, when we attend conferences like these, I get emotional. Last night, a young man named Christopher Duffley led us in worship. Like Fletch, Christopher also has autism (and red hair). But, besides his autism, Christopher is also blind. Christopher impressed me, not as a disabled person, but as an artist. Christopher’s singing is like a good book. You get so taken in by incredible content you forget you are reading.
Then, Emily Colson spoke to the audience. Emily is Chuck Colson’s daughter. She has a twenty-seven-year-old son named Max who also has autism. A few years ago, Emily wrote a book chronicling her experience in raising Max. She titled the book, Dancing with Max, and it is a must read for anyone wanting to better understand how God provides grace in difficult, unexpected situations. I met Emily back in 2013 when we were both presenting at the Joni and Friends Annual conference in Los Angeles. Emily’s compassion is infectious and is only exceeded by her ability to articulate the experience of a parent with a disabled child. It was great to catch up with her. She showed some new videos of her Max and trust me, if you saw him, you would want to dance with him yourself!
As I experienced the festivities unfolding last night, what struck me was the humanness of everyone present. Emily reminded us that every life matters. I pondered this statement. I thought to myself, “What is it about Fletch that blesses others?” Then it occurred to me. God graced my son with one gift that for me and Brenda is precious — his smile. His gift is not a flashy one. But, I know that it is genuine and always makes me feel better. I think when we get to heaven, we will experience a great number of people smiling just like Fletch. Fortunately, Brenda and I have gotten a head start on witnessing those gracious grins.
Originally published at Thinking Christianly…In a Therapeutic Culture.
