The Power of the Incarnation Means No Blanket Required

My daughter and I take turns on Sunday mornings volunteering with our church's special needs ministry. She serves during one service, and I serve during the next.  We usually work one-on-on with children to help them integrate into standard classrooms.  We've worked with kids who have Down's syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, autism, and a wide array of physical or mental handicaps.

The child we've been working with lately is gifted with an exceptionally brilliant mind.  At age four, she reads, memorizes, and comprehends at levels higher than many kids twice her age. However, she has sensory processing issues and possibly other diagnoses (TBD) that often leave her in a puddle of tears and tantrums by the end of the last hour.

This past Sunday was different. She kept telling the Christmas story (the entire story with details few adults remember to include) while moving magnetic figures on the class dry erase board to illustrate the story as she spoke. She took such delight in telling the story that when it was time to present the class lesson, we began by having her share the Christmas story with the rest of the class.  She was very dramatic in her presentation and completely captivated the attention of the other kids.  She also led us all in singing the Christmas songs from her Christmas CD at home.  That child knew every word.  While she never ceases to amaze us with her intellect, what truly astounding me this past week was that she stayed so calm, not just while presenting her portion of the lesson, but also throughout the class period.  She usually carries various therapy toys or implements in her hands which help calm her, but this time she did not want or need any of them.

She connected with me for the first time that day in a way that let me know almost intuitively what she needed and what to avoid because it might cause her stress. But the stress she usually feels was absent that day.

The miracle that morning, which flowed out of her repeated telling of the Christmas story, reminded me of the segment from A Charlie Brown Christmas when Linus tells the audience what Christmas is all about.  When Linus appears in Charlie Brown comics, he is almost always carrying a blue security blanket.  But when Linus recounts the angel's appearance to Mary and cries out, "Fear not!" (Luke 1:30), he dropped his blanket and continued telling the rest of the story without it.

   

"The birth of Jesus separates us from our fears.

The birth of Jesus frees us from the habits we are unable (or unwilling) to break ourselves.

The birth of Jesus allows us to simply drop the false security we have been grasping so tightly, and learn to trust and cling to Him instead." -  Jason Soroski

After recounting the Christmas story with great joy and leading us all in worship songs, our little friend needed no coping devices in her hands to help her stay calm.  The things that usually upset her did not phase her. She was at perfect peace.  That's the power of the incarnation at work!   No blanket required!

²⁶ And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
²⁷ To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
²⁸ And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
²⁹ And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
³⁰ And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
³¹ And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
³² He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
³³ And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.  (Luke 1: 26-33)

A mural along the marketplace walls in Bethlehem (January 2016)