S6 E1 - A Deformed Doll

Welcome back to a brand new season of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast!

We got Ava a realistic baby doll for Christmas, the problem was it was damaged in shipping. We let her open it, but promised we could get her another one. She responded that she loved the doll just the way it was, because that's how God loves us - it doesnt matter how we look, all of us are special. 

Today I have a dear friend Will Gathro help me write some important lessons from thsi story, and he is uniquely qualified to dicuss this topic. I hope you find some encouragement from the Scriptures and from Will's example of faith despite his own personal challenges. 

#SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Transcript

What if I told you that God could be seen in the most ordinary things every day? 

What if I told you that every day, ordinary events could teach us extraordinary eternal truths? Would you believe me? 

 Welcome back to a brand-new season of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! My name is BJ Sipe, and I am a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. In our next few moments together, we hope to learn some of the most important lessons from some of the simplest things in life. Thank you for taking this journey with me. 

I hope that all of you had a wonderful last couple of weeks alongside of your family through the holidays! I enjoyed getting to have a little time off to really focus on having some uninterrupted days with my wife and kids. This time of year is always so magical with little children in the home, and Christmas morning was just as fun and laid back as we had hoped for it to be. While our story for today will primarily take place on that morning, it begins a few days before on Sunday the 21st. After an edifying morning of worship, we had set aside time for the rest of the afternoon before evening worship to wrap all of the kids presents. Between gifts from both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, and then gifts from us to the kids – there was quite a bit to get done. So, we locked ourselves in our room and got after it together. Each of the kids had some special presents tailored to them specifically, but for the girls they both got something similar that they had both wanted: a realistic baby doll. If you’ve seen them, they really are pretty lifelike. We pulled the boxed dolls out of their hiding places and opened each one up before wrapping them back in their respective boxes so that we knew which doll went to which girl. We unboxed Finley’s first and it looked just as advertised, so we wrapped it up and marked it with love from Mom & Dad. But then we opened up Ava’s…and our hearts sank. Apparently, something had happened in development or shipping, but the whole back left side of Ava’s baby doll’s head was concaved in. It was very obvious upon looking at it that something was wrong. Being this close to Christmas, it was too late to return it and get another one in time. So, we decided to go ahead and give her the doll as is so that she could still open it up, with the promise that we could return it and get her a brand-new baby doll – even the same one – by the weekend.  

This brings us to Christmas morning. With coffee in hand and some very excited kids, we started working through our stocking stuffers first before getting to our bigger wrapped presents under the tree. Towards the end of our gift exchanges, we handed both the girls their packages and told them to go ahead and open them, while keeping a close eye on Ava as she opened up her doll. We anticipated and expected a look of confusion or disappointment on her face. However, we were given a far different response. Ava unboxed her doll and her eyes lit up almost with tears she was so excited! She picked it up and hugged it, saying over and over again, “Thank you, Mom! Thank you, Dad!” Thinking maybe she just had not noticed, Kylie started in with our prepared explanation, pointing out the deformation in the doll with the promise of being able to return it for another doll. That’s when our oldest then brought tears to our eyes. She sat there, stroking her doll’s face, and answered us back by saying, “No, Mom & Dad, she’s perfect. It doesn’t matter what she looks like, God makes all of us special and I love her just the way she is. We are just as important and special to God no matter what we look like, so it shouldn’t matter what this baby doll looks like either. She’s beautiful to me, just like we’re all beautiful to God.” Needless to say, it took us a few moments to regain our composure. I was so proud of our daughter and how she handled what could have been a disappointing moment with such maturity, and also how she demonstrated such wisdom and love even at the young age of 7 with how she sees and values people.  

Today’s podcast has a very special guest that is joining me, even though you will not be able to hear his voice, his words will bring you some very strong encouragement. His name is Will Gathro, and he is a dear friend of mine here in Danville that I get to have coffee with on a regular basis. Will suffers with significant disabilities that prevents him from being able to speak among other serious physical impairments, but his challenges have not stopped him from seeing and sharing the great love that God has for him. He is uniquely qualified to speak on today’s topic, and he assisted me in putting together today’s podcast as we talked about these things together. So, we will first share some very important lessons from Scripture, and then at the end I will share some special words of encouragement from my dear friend Will that he typed out for me to share.

First, we want to go back to the very beginning. We read the account of the creation of mankind in Genesis chapter 1. Starting in vv. 26, we read the following, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.” The Lord made people in his own image, after his own likeness. Mankind is vastly different from the rest of creation in this way, for nothing else was created in God’s image – only us. We have the ability to love like God, to serve like God, to know the difference between that which is good and evil like God. This incredible reality is universal for all people – regardless of who they are or where they come from. Every person is made in the image of God, and as such they have untold worth and value as the pinnacle of God’s creation. We are all Adam’s race – regardless of the color of our skin, regardless of our country of origin, and regardless of what we may look or sound like. We are one race, the race of man, as we are all the product of the mind of God. 

Second, we know that each of us is specially formed and fashioned by God. We read in Psalm 139:13-16, “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.” God does not make garbage. He has carefully formed, fashioned, and crafted each one of us to be unique, special, and beautiful. In a world that only celebrates the young, the beautiful, and the flawless – those who understand God celebrate all life and see the beauty in those who look far different from themselves. Disabilities, deformities, or simply just differences do not add or take away from our value to God. He made each of us special, he loves you just as you are, and he will welcome you as his child even if the world fails to see your incredible worth. And remember, no matter what struggles or ailments these physical bodies sometimes come with in this life, one day we will be transformed into a far superior body. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:40-44, “There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones. There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor. So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” God formed and fashioned us special in this life; but he will transform us in an even greater and more glorious way in the resurrection of the dead. 

Knowing these things, we would do well to remember the words of Peter in Acts 10:34-35, “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” My friends, there is no partiality with God. He makes no distinctions based upon race, social class, disabilities or abilities, skin color, accent, nor any other classification that we as people often segregate others into. God has no concern for the appearance but has only a concern for the heart. Paul would emphasize this matter in Galatians 2:6, “Now from those recognized as important - what they once were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism.” We must take cues from the apostle Pual as well – while this world might place labels of importance or unimportance on others, we would do well to throw those labels right into the trash can. Everyone is important to God, each and individual soul. Christ died for all, so that all might live – and that life is offered to each and every man and woman who would fear him and do what is right. If God shows this level of love to all without distinction, what sort of way ought we to treat one another in this life? My friends, God has worked tirelessly to break down the barriers that man has erected – don’t set them back up again and undo the powerful work of the cross. Value all, honor all, bless all, and serve all. 

I want to end today by giving the floor over to my dear friend Will. As we talked about these truths, I asked him what he would want to share with others who are struggling with these things. His answer was humbling, and a powerful reminder to each of us of just how important and special each individual is to our Creator. Will said, “No matter what happens in this life, I know that Jesus still loves me. I can walk. I can read. I have emotions, just like everyone else. No matter who you are, believe in yourself, because our God loves you and believes in you too.” 

This has been season 6 episode 1 of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast – and I’m so thankful that we had this time to grow together! A new episode is dropped each Friday of the week. If you’re able to, go ahead and like and subscribe to the podcast, give us a good rating, and tune in next week. Even more important, share the spiritual truths that we learned today with someone else. And more than anything my friends, always remember the following: know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above.