re-post

* This is another re-post from my family blog. I thought that it would be an appropriate post here at Christmas time. I wrote this in honor of my cousin, Jonathan.*


We've probably all wondered before what we will see when we get to Heaven. I know I have. Well, I saw a glimpse of it tonight. We had the opportunity to go to the Christmas program at a local church. My uncle is the minister of music and my cousin, Jonathan, was making his drama debut as a Wise Man! We heard through the grapevine that Jonathan was so excited he had trouble sleeping the night before. I had to see this! Jonathan has special needs. He has a hearing impairment and learns differently than most. I don't have enough time to type out how special he is to our family, or all of his challenging abilities. However, what I can tell you is that EVERYTHING Jonathan sets out to do, he does it with excellence! Everything is important to him. Well, tonight was no different.

I was on my way back from the nursery about to take my seat when I saw him standing in the dark hallway awaiting his cue.... It wasn't hard to recognize him even though he was disguised in a beard and sandals. He was the most handsome of the three. No offense to the others! I found my seat just in time to watch the Wise Men make their way down the isle...towards the manger. Jonathan only has full use of his left hand. With that hand, he carried his gift to the Baby Jesus. He completed his mission with pride! He stood on the church platform proudly for more than half an hour with the rest of the cast making us all proud!

I was reminded tonight of how we all look different to God. We all come to Him carrying different gifts. None are the same. I may be blessed enough to carry my gifts with TWO hands, however, when I reach the Throne, all that matters is that I've brought my best. Like any other church Christmas program, I am sure that countless hours went in to the preparation. Some of the participants may have filled in for someone or decided to join at the last minute. Some may have felt obligated to join. I don't know. What I do know is that for Jonathan it was a precious honor that he did not take lightly. He carried his gift to Jesus with his whole heart. Jonathan has traveled a very long and difficult road to get to where he is today. Thankfully, he is oblivious to a lot of what has taken place. He's always just been happy. He loves God and his family. He loves life. I could learn a lot from Jonathan.....

He really is a Wise Man!