“Why has my baby been born deformed?”
Some things we fail to understand –
Why God has allowed the shock and this “disgrace,”
When He could have extended, His Mighty Hand?
Jesus met a man, blind from his birth,
“Who has sinned, this man or his parents?” they said,
“None!” said Jesus, “but that the Glory of God
Might be manifest in his life,” ahead.
We are creatures of Time,
And we cannot see Destiny from birth at its source,
But if we can believe all things work for good,
We shall put our trust in the Lord.
God has a purpose for this helpless lamb,
To bring praise and glory to His Name
The things that are not, doth God choose.
To bring to nought things that are,” to their shame.
We have a distorted view of the Truth,
As we look to the powerful, the strong,
But God, says, “Except you come as a child,
You cannot to His Kingdom belong.”
The pain and the sorrow of our limited vision
Will fade from the most desperate circumstance –
Into the comfort, joy and peace within,
Of knowing we’re completely safe in His Hands.
And this trust in Him through the turmoil and trials,
Will help us grow in His grace,
Develop and mature day by day,
From what was once an impossible place.
So, from a place of loss, a place of grief
To a place we thought we would never achieve,
Guided by the hand of an Almighty God,
From the direst circumstance, we can be freed!
Weakness and helplessness are of no value to the world,
But of such is the Kingdom of Heaven,
Such a welcome awaits those who qualify.
Through humility, this promise is given.
So, a baby deformed can become a promise:
From the impossible, what God can produce,
A flickering candle, – lit at its birth,
To become a beam of salvation, bearing “much fruit!”
A Prince in his Kingdom, to lead men from depravity,
Into the glorious light of His Truth,
Rescued from abortion and the termination of life,
Into an Eternity, only God can conclude.
So, from a child that’s born deformed,
We travel to the other extreme:
We find in old age we can’t do what we could,
Nor go where once we have been.
Old age brings with it many a problem,
Preparing us for what is to come,
And that which is taken for granted from birth,
We find we’ve lost, when the battle is nearly won.
We spend a lifetime doing what we will,
Dreaming of what we intend to do,
Then we find we’re losing it all bit by bit,
Such a shock suddenly comes, out of the blue!
Aching joints, gasping for breath,
And the accidents of life take their toll,
What once was the “norm” we’ve lost – one and all,
We no longer feel we’ve control.
Arthritis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
May await us “over the hill,”
The back, the hips, the knees all ache,
It’s a sad and a bitter pill.
I think of the past what I once had,
I’m afraid that now I’m “losing it,”
I could face every problem without ever a thought.
When once I was fighting fit.
I can’t remember now what I did yesterday,
Yet I remember the things of yesteryear,
My eyes are dim, to see distant and close,
Others see an old man, whose end is near.
“Good morning!” they say as they pass me by,
As I shuffle and slowly move on,
But I’ve a song in my heart as they speed by in their cars,
As to this world I no longer belong.
Once we ran, now we can only walk,
When problems arose, we got through,
We’ve become dependent, like the babe from the womb,
But so often now, we haven’t a clue.
And just like the helpless babe deformed.
From birth to old age now descended,
As the journey began, helpless and hopeless,
Our pilgrimage is now almost ended.
The babe born deformed now has a promise,
Of God’s Eternal Kingdom, where he will be set free
From the shackles of time, he has been living with from birth,
Leaving this old life behind, for God’s perfect destiny.
So, now at the close of life, there’s a difference,
Whatever condition we began with, is past,
We now have a wonderful future awaiting,
To be with our Saviour! We’ve made it at last!
There’s no more death, or parting, or separation,
No more failing, or fading or decay,
Our new world is alive, with fruit from the Tree of Life,
With nevermore a bill that we can’t pay.
No more pain, no more tears, no more crying,
Blind eyes shall open to see an open door,
No aching joints, accidents or disease,
No deformity, God’s perfection we shall explore.
No more shuffling along with a walking stick,
We don’t need a memory for that which is past,
There’s no miscarriage, of birth, or of suffering,
We’ll no longer seek peace, for we’ve arrived at last.
Our travelling days will be over,
Eternity’s vast infinity is our realm,
No longer needing car, bus, train or plane,
Our spirit shall be free, for where we choose to dwell.
Creation groans like a woman in childbirth, for deliverance,
For an all-new Garden of Eden, a Paradise of God,
We are the stunning Bride that symbolises the New Creation –
The New Jerusalem with Jesus, paid for by His Blood!
Almighty God has chosen to be revealed in humankind,
Made in His image, fashioned in His likeness, for Paradise,
The Father and the Son, are the Light for all Eternity, –
The very centre of God’s Glory, for every eye to see.
Our greatest joy will be, to be with Jesus!
With a resurrected body, made like unto His,
In the presence of God, flowing out like a river,
Oh to be like Him! What a place! Oh what bliss!
Peter Burt
GOSPEL CRUMBS 