The Image

Headline Update for the caring but busy:

Today was a rather boring, status-quo day until around 1pm. I moved Regan to her wheelchair for a posture that would support her back a little more than the bed she's been in all week. As I drank coffee & read next to her she had some difficulty w/ her oxygen levels. Within an hour, her system started to crash quickly. We put her back on the bed, increased her oxygen and began the external ventilation we were doing on Monday. She responded well and has settled down. But we have taken a few steps back today. We're praying that this non-invasive support will give her a chance to gain some strength so she can breathe on her own soon.

We'll probably be staying in Springfield for a few days until we know how she'll do.


Reflections for the Musers:

We received another load of cards today. The girl from the shop downstairs handed them to me w/ an inquisitve look in her eyes. As I watched them pan around the room, size me up & finally land on Regan I could tell she was trying to figure out what was so special to so many people.

Chantell, the kids & I know that look well. We see it in peoples' faces all the time. People tell us far too often that Regan is "special." Being the cynic I am, the word usually drips of sentimentality and sticks to me in an unpleasant, messy sort of way. (Sorry! It's my problem, not yours I'm sure.) I think the most special part of Regan is not really any different from you and me...it is the basic image of God in her soul.

That image is powerful no matter where you see it. It is captivating, endearing and impressive. It is stimulating and catalytic. It is affirming and challenging. And it's in all of us. The problem is that our fallenness hides it, abuses it, perverts it and uses it for evil. What God has given us we usually think is ours for our own purposes. What makes Regan special is not the image itself, but that she's better than the rest of us at revealing it. Her Godliness is apparent in her perfect humble submission to his will. Her Christ-likeness is understood in the way she bears suffering. Her fellowship with the Holy Spirit is felt in her gracious fortitude as she depends on his strength rather than her own.

Please remember more than this sweet little girl...remember the powerful image of God revealed in her weak human vessel. And don't miss the lessons she teaches. You have the same responsibility & opportunity to redeem & reflect.