WHAT I WOULDN’T GIVE!

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

 

At age forty, I was working two jobs, raising two daughters who both had their challenges, and navigating a bad marriage that I eventually escaped. I was exhausted; my very bones ached. I was aware that I wasn’t doing anything well, but I was powerless to improve my performance in any aspect of my life. I had accepted Christ several years earlier, and I prayed to Him daily—every minute some days. But nothing seemed to quell the burgeoning fear that I was losing control of life.

 

One day, I recalled a book called The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, which I read the same year I “became” a Christian. Corrie’s Christian family lived in Amsterdam, Holland when the Nazis invaded their city. Corrie’s father was a watchmaker, and the family hid several Jews in a secret room—“the hiding place”—in their home above the shop. Eventually, they were found out, and the whole ten Boom family went to a concentration camp. Corrie was the only one who survived. As I read the book, I wondered if I would have the faith and courage and strength to survive the Nazi brutality, as Corrie did. That story became my rallying cry, through all my struggles: “If Corrie could do that, I can do this.”

 

Today, we find ourselves faced with another insidious enemy: the Coronavirus pandemic. While “sheltering in place,” I’ve thought many times about my old mantra: “If Corrie could do that, I can do this.” I can survive this uncertainty, this nibbling fear, this confusion over what is being said on TV and in the news. I can revel in the peace and quiet this “better at home” edict has provided—the peace and quiet that I longed for when I was active and productive. Corrie spent many hours in meditation and prayer—praying for the very guards who held her families’ lives in their hands. Her sister Betsy insisted they thank God for the fleas that were rampant in the camp; the guards avoided the prisoners because of those fleas! Corrie found blessings where there seemed to be none. I can do the same.

 

God of All Circumstance, bolster our faith to see Your blessings right in front of us. Amen

 

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan is the author of three books: Then I Am Strong: Moving From My Mother’s Daughter to God’s Child; Perils of a Polynesian Percussionist; and Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of New Mexico and has over thirty years’ experience working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, war veterans, and other trauma survivors.  Her books may be purchased through her website, www.MegCorrigan.com or from www.amazon.com .

WHAT DOES GOD WANT NOW?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

 

Today, we are living in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. My husband and I are retired; the “social distancing” and “sheltering-in-place” have not been as disruptive to our daily lives as they have to the lives of our children and grandchildren and many others. We pray for several family members who are on the front lines of this crisis—medical care providers and others performing essential tasks. But just yesterday, my husband asked me, “What do you think God wants us to think about this pandemic? What does He want us to know now?” Some thoughts we voiced to each other were: “The whole world is in this together.” “Shared suffering requires us to be vulnerable, to let the suffering of others impact us in a personal way.” “God wants us to pay attention to what’s important in life.”

 

As we shared our thoughts and said some prayers for those closest to our hearts, I remembered the simple admonition from the prophet Micah: “What does God require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” These words did seem simple a couple of weeks ago. But as we are being asked not to interact with others in our communities, workplaces, shops, restaurants—how are we supposed to show justice and mercy to others?

 

I’ve heard it said that only two paths lead us to a personal relationship with God: the path of love and the path of suffering. If most of us are honest with ourselves, those paths may have been intertwined throughout our faith journey, because loving something or someone deeply almost always involves some pain. The concepts in Micah’s challenge, “justice” and “mercy,” both arise from some passion to help someone outside of ourselves. That passion cannot be pain-free; but it is love that carries us through the pain to do our best to provide the help needed.

 

Great God, hear our anguished prayers! Bless and sustain those on the front lines of this battle. Stir the rest of us to support them with prayers and words and deeds of encouragement as we are able. Amen

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan tells stories of wisdom, strength, fear, joy and risk-taking. Daughter of a raging alcoholic mother, and survivor of sexual assault at gunpoint, Corrigan has shaken a dismal past and flung herself into the arms of Christ, Who sustains her in her daily walk of grace. She shares with her listeners her incredible story of surviving and thriving through many trials during her seven decades walking this fragile earth. She has been described as a Renaissance Woman, integrating her formal training in psychology and counseling, an enlightening experience as a percussionist for a Polynesian show troupe, and most recently as an inspirational author and blogger, to the delight of all who read her work and hear her speak. Her exposure to many life experiences has enriched her passion for spreading Christ’s word and helping other trauma survivors. She has a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling and thirty-plus years of experience in the field of counseling and social work.  She lives in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, with the love of her life, Patrick, and their formerly disenfranchised rescue dog Ginger. www.MegCorrigan.com    MegCorrigan@comcast.net

 

A SPECIAL CHILD

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

 

The birth of any child is cause for celebration, but my first glimpse of our new baby was also a cause for concern. Her body was limp, her skin blue, and her cry was low and raspy. I looked at my husband, Brian, with apprehension and fear, but he was quick to offer reassurance.

 

Our doctor showed up the next morning. His words were delivered in a terse, offhand manner: “Your baby was born with Down syndrome. Do you want to give her up for adoption?” What?

 

I swear my heart stopped beating. Brian already had two children from a previous marriage, and together we had one, so perhaps that’s why he managed to hold it together, at least for my sake. As for myself, I was stunned. I didn’t even know what questions to ask! The doctor certainly didn’t make it any easier when he merely handed me a brochure on the subject—and walked out of the room.

 

Along with the diagnosis of Down syndrome, Katlyn also had two dime-size holes in her heart. When I heard this news, I instantly foresaw her death. Surely, she would not survive, and I mentally prepared myself for her passing. I had even managed to convince myself that she would be better off with God, safer in heaven than she would be on earth. I went so far to suggest to Brian that we change the beautiful name we had chosen. I’m still not sure why I thought changing her name would make a difference, but I couldn’t stand the thought of our sweet Katlyn Elizabeth leaving us.

 

As I struggled with my disappointment and sadness, Brian was my pillar of strength. Then, out of nowhere, he cracked. On his way to the post office, he ended up dumping mail all over the road. Neighborhood children came to his rescue and helped him reload the truck. Hard as he had resisted, he’d reached his breaking point, too.

 

We faced a long, hard road—not just us, but our other children as well. But we knew God would guide us, and we were prepared to do whatever we could to not only prolong her life but to enrich it as well. Little did we know at the time that it would be Katlyn who would touch us so deeply and profoundly.

Now at twenty-four years old, Katlyn is a vivacious young adult with Down syndrome.  She is the author of My Friends the Penguins children’s book series and My Name is Princess Katlyn. Katlyn is also an actress, model, presenter, author, and all-around inspiration to all who meet her.

 

A mom of any child needs to learn to rest in God’s peace and trust her children to the Lord, but a special needs mom especially needs the strength of the Lord. From one mom’s heart to another, ask God for peace that only comes from Him. Pray that God will give you wisdom for those days you doubt His plan.

Ann Aubitz is the author of Katlyn Conquers the World and The Many Faces of Down Syndrome. Her writing buddy is her daughter with Down syndrome, Katlyn Aubitz. Ann owns FuzionPress/FuzionPrint in Burnsville, Minnesota, with her husband of twenty-six years.

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), March 21st, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. The date for WDSD is the 21st day of the 3rd month, selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome. For more information about Down Syndrome and the day we celebrate these special world citizens, please see www.worlddownsyndromeday2.org .

MERCY, ABIDE IN ME

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1

 

“But I’m not a sinner,” I said to her. “I have never murdered anyone or robbed a bank.” My best friend and college roommate was shoving a religious tract under my nose while telling me about her “conversion” to Christianity. I wanted none of it. I was certain I did not need anything from God. At the ripe old age of twenty-six, I had not realized—yet—what that little incident on a mountain in Colorado the year before had really meant. Yeah, that time when God literally delivered me from the hands of a crazed rapist wielding a gun and a huge chain with which he intended to secure me to a tree in a remote forest. When I cried out to a God I didn’t even believe in, the man crumbled to the ground and then fled, most probably sparing me a slow death on the forest floor where no one would have found me.

 

Still, by the time Jan caught up with me, I wasn’t ready to admit that I needed God. My life was out of control, but I didn’t even recognize that either. St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) admonished, “For the most part, all (our) trials and disturbances come from our not understanding ourselves.” What a loaded statement! But I had just completed a master’s degree in counseling, further proof that I didn’t need any help figuring out life’s complexities. Perhaps failure to admit we need God’s grace is “the sin against the Holy Spirit” the Apostle Paul spoke about in Ephesians 4:30. What could be more offensive to our Lord than for us to reject His everlasting love, compassion, and forgiveness for us? But that’s exactly what I did. Until one day I didn’t.

 

Finally, grace broke through and I began to change. I no longer fought to block God’s loving energy from flooding into my entire being. And—miraculously—I began to understand myself through the lens of God’s mighty mercy. Letting God love me revealed how to love others. And, more importantly, when I saw what God loved in me, I was able to love myself.

 

All-Loving God, You see in me what I can be in Your eyes. Thank You for Your grace. Amen

 

Both candid and humorous, insightful and ponderous, Meg Blaine Corrigan’s memoir, Then I Am Strong: Moving From My Mother’s Daughter to God’s Child, takes the reader through her chaotic childhood with an alcoholic mother and enabling father to a violent assault that nearly ended her life. She populates her tale with vivid descriptions of her parents, other influential adults, the attacker, and her disastrous first marriage. But this story has a happy ending, when Meg finds solace in a God she didn’t think she’d ever believe in, when He gently helps her heal from her past lives and move into the best times of her life. Meg has also written a novel, Perils of a Polynesian Percussionist, about said first marriage, as well as a Christian devotional, Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian, comprised of blogs from this site. Stay tuned for sequels to her last two books! All of her works may be purchased through her website, www.MegCorrigan.com or from www.amazon.com .

FIRE AND RAIN

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:2-3

 

A couple of nights ago, I was writing in our study, and I heard the familiar strains of James Taylor singing “I’ve Seen Fire and I’ve Seen Rain.” I followed the sound to our living room where my husband was watching a recent taping of Taylor performing the iconic song he wrote in 1968. According to Wikipedia.org, Taylor was twenty years old at the time, just returning from London where he had recorded his first album. The lyrics tell of him learning about the suicide of his childhood friend named Suzanne, while he himself was in a deep depression and heavily into drug use. Taylor entered a drug and mental health rehab program and completed the song while he was there. He has clearly stated over the years that his treatment program was a life saver.

 

I am about the same age as Taylor, and “Fire and Rain” had a profound effect on me. About the time it was released, I was working as a resident assistant in a dormitory at the University of Denver. A fellow “RA” took her own life in the dorm across from mine. I remember so clearly watching out my window when the paramedics came and could not gain entry to her apartment. By the time they got her door opened, it was too late. It was the first of very few of my peers who had died. I did not know Christ and I was suddenly terrified of the whole idea of death.

 

Fast forward several years to when I laid my life down for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What a difference knowing Him has made! I no longer fear death because I know that Jesus conquered that ugly foe for us. I do not know what James Taylor’s religious views are, but when he wrote, “I always thought I’d see you again” about his friend Suzanne, I hope he now knows that he will.

 

Precious Jesus, thank You for Your saving grace that assures us of eternal life. Amen

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan is the author of three books: Then I Am Strong: Moving From My Mother’s Daughter to God’s Child; Perils of a Polynesian Percussionist; and Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of New Mexico and has over thirty years’ experience working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, war veterans, and other trauma survivors.  Her books may be purchased through her website, www.MegCorrigan.com or from www.amazon.com .