I rolled out of bed, shuffled to the kitchen, and took two eggs from the refrigerator. Determined to start my day sunny-side up, I tapped one egg on the side of the cast-iron skillet and watched its contents slip into the sizzling pan. Wow! A double yolk. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen an egg with two yolks.
As any appreciative twenty-first-century recipient of such good fortune would do, I first chronicled this rare occurrence with my camera and then googled the significance of a double yolk. Wikipedia informed me that the superstitious say a double yolk means double good luck—the recipient will get double their good expectations.
This eggspert view of life is amusing, but basing our expectations on false hope is a slippery slide into discouragement. The hard-shell reality is that regardless of our sunny disposition, at some point we’re going to end up in a frying pan full of hot grease.
I view life from the upside. I attribute a great portion of my optimism to the unrealistic portrayal of family on television in the late fifties. Although I viewed the lives of the Cleavers and the Nelsons on our small black-and-white TV, I projected my future in wide-screen living color. Of course, my life would be nothing less than perfect.
I never envisioned my future to include a child with Down Syndrome. In fact, at age twenty-seven, I’d never even heard of Down Syndrome. Nevertheless, thirty-nine years this side of our daughter’s birth, I can’t imagine our journey taking any other course. Like many others who travel this road, we are blessed to accompany a child who experiences life at a slower pace and marches to the beat of her own drummer.
Perhaps, like me, you’ve collided with a future you don’t recognize as your own and found yourself in a procession you didn’t sign up for. I pray you know Christ. I can’t imagine walking this road (or any road) without Him.
Regardless of your challenge, Christ will always lead you to victory. He waits for opportunities to reveal Himself along the way. In the meantime, your task is to keep in step and walk on the sunny side, for with Christ we always have a reason to hope. Walk on.
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and jfelias.)
(For more devotions, visit us at www.christiandevotions.us.)
Starr Ayers is a third-generation artist, writer, and speaker. The mother of a daughter with Down syndrome, her heart is to encourage the acceptance of those with life-challenging disabilities and to inspire others to embrace their own uniqueness in Christ. Starr is a contributor to the book Hopelifter: Creative Ways to Spread Hope When Life Hurts and is published monthly in Thrive magazine. Connect with Starr at http://bringinglifeintofocus2.blogspot.com, or starrayers@triad.rr.com.