Myra Monroe Carr

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face." 

1 Corinthians 13:12

Greetings Friends,

     One of the things I love most about living in Florida is being surrounded by water.  Lake Santa Fe, where we make our home, is a glorious display of God's artistry.  If the sun is just right and the lake is calm, the earth and sky appear to merge into one.  When this happens, I'm reminded of the thin veil that separates us from God.  

     The Celtics have a saying that 'the distance between Heaven and Earth is only three feet.'  In some places the ancient mystics believed the distance was even thinner, so thin that one could actually feel the presence of God.  They refer to these spaces as "thin places."  

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
     They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them."

Psalm 19:1-3

     Thin places remind us that God is always close.  For a moment, time seems to stand still and God's presence wraps us like a warm sweater on a chilly morning.  

     Thin places are not only found in nature.  People describe experiencing thin places in all kinds of crowded spaces.  Thin places occur in hospital rooms during the miracle of birth, and by the side of a loved one as they slip into Jesus' presence.  

     Scripture records the thinnest of thin places, which was the hill at Golgotha where Jesus drew his last breath.  On that day Heaven and Earth mourned and darkness took over the land for three hours:  "For the sun stopped shining.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two."  Luke 23:45.   Jesus created the thin places we experience by making it possible for us to approach our almighty God without fear.

     Speaking of fear, we are midway through the Lenten season in which we empty ourselves and strengthen our faith in preparation for Easter.  In my blog post "Fear to Faith in 40 Days" (linked at the bottom of this page)  I suggested that we give up fear for Lent by filling up with God's lavish love for us.  

     It is in the thin places where we most feel God's lavish love and acceptance.  In the presence of the Ineffable one, whatever worries we may have seem insignificant.  We know our God is much bigger than we are and we are at peace.  

     Each of us who have accepted Christ and have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them is also a living, breathing thin place:  "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever, the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." John 14:16-18.  As a thin place, Christians are a witness of God's extravagant love to others.

     During the days leading up to Easter, I challenge you to find time to be alone with God and seek the thin place.   Please know I am praying the Apostle Paul's prayer to the Ephesians over you:

     "that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God"  Ephesians 3:16-19.

      In the thin place, there is no fear;  just you, the Lord and an abundance of love.  Have you experienced a thin place?  I'd love to hear about it.   

In Christ,

Myra     

Have You Heard?

I prayed for God to heal her...

God healed me instead

     As soon as it was confirmed that the baby I was carrying had Down syndrome, I began praying for God to heal her.  I never anticipated that God wanted to heal me instead.  It has taken almost nineteen years of life experiences with my daughter Marianna and a Master of Theology degree to help me even begin to see why I needed healing or what I needed healing from.  
     Recently, an advocate for people with Down syndrome shared on social media about a woman who was praying for her baby to be healed, and how she understood, but she wished the mother-to-be wouldn't look at Down syndrome as a negative condition to be fixed.  I read her words and the comments that followed and thought yes, yes...why would anyone want to 'fix' a child with Down syndrome?  But wait...didn't I also pray for healing during my pregnancy?  It brought back a flood of memories.
     I was pregnant during the Easter season and was in church every opportunity I could get.  I took the bread and juice of communion and prayed fervently "God, I know you can heal her if it's your will."  I fully anticipated a healthy baby to arrive in May, even though an amniocentesis had confirmed Marianna had three copies of the 21st chromosome, which is called trisomy 21 or Down syndrome.  Even after she was born, I asked the pediatrician to count the chromosomes again, just in case.
     Not too long after Marianna arrived, I proudly stated I wouldn't change a thing about her, not even her Down syndrome.  But by the time she was four years old and also showing some signs of autism, I began to feel the effects of being excluded.  Everything we did was difficult for me and for her.  Going to a restaurant, finding a preschool, participating in extracurricular activities, church, childcare, even meeting up with our friends who also had Down syndrome was often a struggle.  Marianna did not fit into the norms that society expected of her, and I got many battle scars from fighting for us to fit in together.  I was focused on the hard, yet God continued to speak to me about the good.  
    Through my studies on Christian theology, I began to change my views of disability as suffering.  I researched a Christ centered liberation theology from a disability perspective, and realized how my own sins of perfectionism and self-sufficiency were contributing to the oppression of people with disabilities.  Instead of trying to fit Marianna into my world, I started to think more about what I appreciate about hers.
     When I was pregnant with Marianna, I didn't realize the gift I had growing within me.  She has taught me the beauty of finding your value in Christ, not in what you can or cannot do.  Marianna is content with herself and who God created her to be.  This is just one of so many life lessons I've learned from my daughter.  Sadly, most people miss out on this blessing because they don't take the time to form a meaningful and lasting friendship with someone like her.  I probably wouldn't have done so either, so I'm thankful God knew what we needed and placed her in our family.
     We are thankful for your friendship and glad you are on this journey with us!

Good News

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