Episode 69: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

This week’s heartwarming episode is one you don’t want to miss. Mom and advocate Lindsey Abbasy shares how raising a daughter with Down Syndrome has changed her life in all the best ways. From gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to be made in the image of God to making a guest appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Lindsay is a beautiful example of what it looks like to use your story for God’s glory. Listen in as Lisa interviews Lindsey about the early years with her sweet daughter, Olivia, and how that led her to work with Jack’s Basket, a nonprofit organization that delivers “baskets of joy” to families celebrating babies with Down Syndrome.

Links:

Jack’s Basket

https://jacksbasket.org/

Lindsay and Olivia on The Kelly Clarkson Show!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0QG2G063bc

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Hello, and welcome to the Her Salad Ground Podcast. I'm Lisa Vatima, and today I have a special guest that I cannot wait for you to meet. Let's get started. Okay, listeners. Welcome to the podcast. Today we welcome a guest who is my friend, my sister in Christ. Her name is Lindsay Abasi. And Lindsay's a mom of three. She's a worship leader, and she's also an advocate for an organization called Jack's Basket. And she delivers baskets, gift baskets, actually, to families who are celebrating the birth of a new child who has Down syndrome. And Lindsay and I met a few years back. I actually went to her church to speak to a mom's group, and we just instantly connected on many levels. And since then we've kind of just kept in touch through, you know, the powers of social media. Okay. And we'd followed each other's stories. And it's just been so beautiful for me to see how God has just moved so powerfully in her life and through her family. So welcome to the podcast, Lindsay.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Thank you. That was such a nice introduction. It's an honor to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

I'm just so excited. I mean, you were instantly when I got the go-ahead to have some um people that don't attend our church on. You were the one of the first names that popped in my brain. So you were so willing to. So thank you for that. So tell, um, because you don't attend attend, excuse me, Hickory Creek Church, can you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Yeah. So uh I live in Lansing, Illinois. I'm married to my husband, Saad. We've been married almost 16 years this month.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Oh, congratulations.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Thank you. We've got three kiddos. Isabel just turned 13. Joseph is about to turn 11 next week. So we've got a busy season of life. And then Olivia, who just turned three. So I'm the mom of a teenager, a preteen, and a toddler.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Okay. We should stop and pray. Right.

SPEAKER_00 2:09

All good stuff. All good stuff. Yeah, absolutely. It's a it's a unique and awesome season of life. Um, and then as you mentioned, I'm a worship leader at Cornerstone Church in Lansing. Uh professionally, I've been a school counselor for 15 years. So I wear a lot of different hats, as I'm sure so many of your female listening audience can relate to. So are you doing any social work professionally right now? Uh a little bit. I'm doing a little bit of a virtual school counseling. I stepped away from my brick and mortar in the building long-term school counseling career for reasons that we'll get into in a little bit. But um, yeah, I am I just picked up a little bit of work doing some virtual counseling with students.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Yeah, that are that's a lot of hats. Yeah and then the worship leader part, is that something that's just um are you part of staff?

SPEAKER_00 2:57

I am. I'm the worship director at our church, so I'm on staff there. I've been doing that for almost the past 10 years.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Wow. That means you have a beautiful singing voice.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Well, good enough. It's a joy.

SPEAKER_01 3:09

I will too, just so you know. Just not right now.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Yeah, God looks at the heart. That's that's what I struggle to do.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

That's what I'm counting on. That's what I'm counting on when the person next to me has to hear me sing on Sunday morning. That is for sure. So I know that you have served in so many capacities in ministry over the years as a worship leader and just as a member of your church. I know your family's been very active, but I know God has really been working in and through your family in a very special way over the last three years. So can you just give our listeners share a little bit of your story? I know it's a a lot to ask to have you summarize three years of your life in a small podcast, but just give us a glimpse into um just the more unique ways that the Lord has been really working through your family.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Sure. So three years ago, um, when Olivia was born, that really was kind of a moment in our lives where the trajectory of our lives changed quite a bit. Um, we call her the surprise that was full of surprises because uh she was a blessed surprise for us, as you can probably discern. She we have an age gap. So um we were excited when we found out she was coming. We thought maybe God was done growing our family, but we found out she was on the way. But then in the delivery room when she was born, we were met with another significant surprise that she was born with Down syndrome. So that was um big, big news that we knew was going to impact our lives rather significantly. And shortly after that, we received more surprising news that she also had a pretty significant congenital heart defect. So at this moment in our journey about three years ago, it really was a moment where we were set on this new course of life, of not just navigating life with a child with Down syndrome, something that a world that was completely new to us and that we weren't expecting. But then also knowing we were about to walk a pretty difficult road of being parents to a medically complex child. Right. And that that first year really was quite a journey. She had about six surgical procedures in about that first year of life. And so it was it was a total course change for us. Like if you it's kind of crazy to be sitting here now because thinking about how up until my mid to late 30s, I kind of thought I had my life mapped out and everything was kind of perfectly in place. My older kids were now fully in school. I was re-entering the the career, my career world. I had always worked but part-time, and I was kind of getting back into my job, and I had my five-year plan and kind of our 10-year plan and really thought life was gonna look a certain way. Um, and then what really felt like kind of in one moment, everything changed and it was a whole new trajectory for us. And so, like I said, that first year I almost couldn't get my head above water, just adjusting to all of the news, all of the new diagnoses, dealing with all of the medical stuff that we were dealing with, and we were just honestly kind of in survival mode that first year, trying to make it through. Um, we happened to be in a position where God's just generous hand with us, He really was so faithful in bringing her through some of those serious, more serious medical situations, and she had a really successful heart repair. And and so we're now in a position where, and I'm so thankful, just by his grace, her health is stabilized and and she's doing well. And as I've gotten to know her now in this journey, you know, things calming down a little bit and adjusting to, okay, now let me get to know this daughter of mine that you've given me. And um, this is where kind of the purpose and trajectory of my life has really shifted because as I've gotten to know her and learn who she is and how fearfully and wonderfully made she is in his image, it's given me really this like fire and drive and passion deep inside to just begin this advocacy journey for not just the Down syndrome community, but the disability community in general, and um to really proclaim the value and dignity and and beauty of these lives and share our journey, what we're experiencing with uh the joy of our Olivia.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

So beautifully said. Thank you for sharing. I can imagine that for you to receive um the news of the diagnosis, you know, that that Olivia has you know Down syndrome, but then to also have the secondary news that there were some some medically necessary procedures that had to take place. I mean, her heart, I mean, this is can be life-threatening. And I don't think maybe a lot of people know that that isn't often the case with Down syndrome, correct? Like sometimes not always, right? But there can there is always the chance of there being some complications with her heart. How did you, you know, um work through that? You know, how did you work through? I mean, you said that first year, I can imagine that's a lot to process while also mothering, yeah, you know, her and you know, newborns are not easy. And you know, so you're already giving so much of yourself and your body and in your mind and your time, and then you have two other children. Like that's a lot. Do you how did you work through that? What were some of the things that you did that looking back now you know were um instrumental in you getting through that time?

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Yeah, uh that's a a great question. It it feels kind of like a blur of survival. Um, but my husband and I really kind of buckled down and and partnered together, and and he is a tremendous gift to me and and was such a blessing as we walked this really as partners every step along the way. And we relied heavily upon the love of others, honestly, to get us through that season. Our families, our friends, the church really came through for us in a powerful way as we navigated really just kind of a whirlwind of adjusting and kind of going into, like you said, we were we were in a life-threatening situation. There's really no way to sugarcoat it. Her heart was failing her very early, and we spent a lot of that first year kind of living in the hospital. Um, but having to depend upon others was uh a challenge and not something that I ever was used to doing. I like to be the helper. Um, and so, but it was needed at the time, and and seeing God provide for us and show his love for us through others was such a beautiful gift during that season of time. And it's crazy because when we received that news in the delivery room that she had some physical markers for Down syndrome, it felt like the end of the world. And then just a couple of weeks later, she went into um a health situation. I won't go into all the details, but uh a scary situation where she was struggling to breathe. And that's when we found out that she had this uh serious heart defect. And uh what's crazy about it is that it was almost um a a gift in a in a weird way because the Down syndrome diagnosis was instantly put into perspective for me. At first I thought that was just this devastating news. And then a couple weeks later, when I felt that her life was on the line, I remember just praying, okay, God, like I'm I'm so sorry how I am struggling to process this diagnosis. Just just let her live and let me have the chance to raise this baby and and let me keep my daughter. Like I I love her. There's this unconditional visceral love that you feel for your child, regardless of whatever they're gonna go through. And and so it was an interesting, the health stuff was a very interesting perspective shift for me. It it put the the other diagnosis in in perspective really quickly.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

Yeah, it almost it uncovered the value of her life. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

That's so well said.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Yeah, I would as you're saying this, I'm I'm you know, my daughter Brooklyn has physical disabilities, and I do remember that I our stories are a little different in that I found out halfway through my pregnancy. And so there was another half of the pregnancy of of unknowns, and I know that you know some people would have spent a lot of time praying for healing because I knew that she was gonna have some physical disabilities, and there was some of that, but but mostly it was prayers of just acceptance, and I just wanted to meet my baby. So, I mean, I I'm thinking through like all of the lessons I know that I have learned on my journey. So, what would you say, and there's so many, right? What would you say has been one of the biggest lessons you have learned as you have raised and um gotten to know Olivia?

SPEAKER_00 12:36

Yeah. I would say the biggest lesson I've learned is, and this this kind of has to start with me saying that in the in the beginning, so many parents, when they're given a Down syndrome diagnosis for their child, or sometimes any unexpected diagnosis, and you might even relate to this, you are often met with in the beginning, all of the things your child might not be able to do, whether it's doctors telling you that, whether it's books that you're reading, or Google, you're you're confronted with all of these concerns about the possible limitations your child might have. And I remember holding her and looking down at her and just thinking, none of that matters to me. You are so loved unconditionally with every cell in my body. Like I love you and I know how valuable you are and how precious you are. And and I think that's been one of the biggest mental shifts for me just as a human is we tend to, without even realizing it, assign value and worth to people based off of what they can accomplish or maybe what power they have and earthly standards and what um they could do for us. And and so having this child where all of a sudden, and and I don't, I'm not putting limitations on her, you know, the the the all of the narrative of she might not be able to do this and that, that's a whole nother uh battle that I'm fighting now because I don't I don't think we should do that. But there's this lesson that you learn, even if, like even if that's the case, it doesn't, that doesn't impact your value and your worth and your dignity as a human. And so that's a lesson that I think can only be learned walking certain journeys. I would tell you before that I think I knew that. Like I would be able to articulate that, but it's only when you are confronted with the reality of what if she can't, X, Y, and Z, what does that mean for her? And you just know it it does not impact her standing before God as made in his image and precious to him and precious to me and valuable to this world. And so as a result, it has really changed the way that I see people, it's changed the way I see others, and it's changing the way that I see myself, and I think it's giving me a vision for people to see them a little bit more the way that God sees us.

SPEAKER_01 15:19

I agree. Yeah, I always say I was very black and white, and I didn't, and I thought that when I got, you know, Brooklyn's diagnosis, it was a lot of gray, and I didn't work well in gray, but then when I presented it to the Lord and gave it to him and lived through him, it actually became a beautiful rainbow. And it was just and I would have missed out on the beautiful rainbow if I had stayed in my black and white way of thinking and living, to be honest with you. And it wasn't gray, it was beautiful, and it's just it's a it's a gift that we get through this lived experience, you know. What if they don't have ten fingers and ten toes? Okay, you know, it's it's one of those things that people just off-handedly say, and you're like, as long as they have ten fingers and ten toes, you know, and you're like, Yeah, but what if they don't? You know, that's like a very low-level thing to say, but it's it's true. It's like, no, I I okay, you know, I I still love she can't walk. I fully love her, and she fully has value and worth, and I it doesn't change how I feel about her, and and she still has so much purpose. In fact, she has taught me so much more than I would have learned otherwise. Yeah, yeah, I I I feel that. You know, you had shared, I had had the pleasure of hearing your testimony at another podcast, and um you shared so beautifully some of the details leading up. That was about a year ago or so, wasn't it? Or was it two years that you shared?

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Yeah, I I think it was it was less. It was maybe about six months ago.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Okay, it was okay, okay. And um, you had talked about that moment in you know, a moment in the hospital when a a a medical professional actually said something, something to you that like really planted a seed of hope in your heart. Can you share that story?

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Yeah, so when when we received the news of her potential diagnosis at birth, it really was given in a way, and nobody meant any harm, but it was just given in a way where it was so clearly communicated to us, like that this news was viewed as really bad news. And we were even told by one of the providers that it was reasonable for us to take some time to grieve. And so these memories that are being created at the onset of your child's life is is you're receiving this message of okay, this this news must be really bad. And and so we had to have the diagnosis confirmed through genetic testing, and that was done through our beloved pediatrician, the the woman who um Dr. Katbee, I always give a shout-out to her. She was the pediatrician for our older kids, so we had a long established relationship with her, and so she had the genetic testing done. And when we did sit with her about a week and a half after Olivia was born to receive the confirmation, you know, she told us that the results did come in and she did have Down syndrome. And my husband and I broke down and cried in her office, and she gave us space and time to feel everything that we needed to feel. But then she said, When you're ready to hear it, I want you to know that I cannot begin to tell you the joy that's coming to your family. And it was such a profound moment in our story because the truth is we weren't ready to hear it. Like it it didn't sink in in that moment, but it was absolutely a seed that was planted. And then in time, God absolutely nurtured and it took root and it grew and it flourished because she was a hundred percent right that there was about to be so much joy and beauty in the journey that we were about to walk. And I'm just thankful for her because it was it's hard to know what to say. It's it's hard to know in those in those moments, um, how to how to navigate the conversations. And it took courage for her to say something, knowing that we were sitting there crying and feeling devastated, but to plant a seed of of hope for us. And it's something that to this day now I remember and I think she knew something that I didn't know yet and was willing to just put it out there for and to know that one day we would we would know how right she was. And then um, you know, fast forward, like a couple months later, I had a similar experience where I heard of this organization called Jack's Basket, and and I heard that they give baskets of resources and gifts and and they celebrate babies born with Down syndrome. So I just went online and requested my my free basket. I'm like, yeah, I'll take what I can get here. Um so you were not even gifted this basket.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

You you went on and said, Yeah, I'll take one of those. Exactly. Somebody told that part.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

Somebody told me about it. And and what's crazy is at the time I I still wasn't in a place, Olivia's health was really bad at that time, and I still wasn't in a place that I wanted much cheery affirmation. I was still in a place of really wrestling and struggling and trying to put one foot in front of the other every day. And so I actually requested that the basket just be dropped at my front door. I didn't even necessarily want to speak to anyone. Um, but when I opened the door and received the basket, it had this giant tag on it and it said, celebrating you, Olivia. You make us better. And oh my goodness, no matter how many times I tell the story, I get emotional every time I say it because that tag, the message, this overwhelming, unapologetic celebration of who my kid was from this group of people that I did not even know that were just celebrating my daughter. Just like that moment with Dr. Cappy, it was like somebody was a little bit ahead of me on the journey and was going to give me a glimpse of hope of something that I did not yet know. But it it was hope that I so desperately needed to hear and wanted to cling to. And uh, it was full of wonderful gifts, but just what really moved me was this overwhelming message of we are declaring the value and and beauty of a life that is worth celebrating.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Yeah. And I think about that message, and you, you know, it's a seed of hope, but it's it's because it's truth. You know, it's any truth that we hear, we we know it when we hear it, or God m makes it stick until we're ready to hear it. And that's how you know that this message is so important because you've it lived it, you've experienced, you watch the Lord water and nurture it. And and so, and we are called to proclaim truth. And so I just hope that whoever's listening to this, whether they're they're a mom walking the same journey as us, um, or a similar journey, um, or someone who, you know, doesn't have someone in their life that is going through this, I hope we all can just hear that. You know, the truth of it, we are all so fearfully and wonderfully made by God. And we all have purpose and value and can be used for um to to glorify God. And we are all image bearers. And um, I just I love that you what you the way you put it was so perfectly said that someone a little bit ahead of the journey um was willing to to proclaim that truth when you couldn't proclaim it yet yourself. Even if you might have known it in your mind, your heart was just not quite there yet, you know? And that has turned into like that was profound for you because that then drew you to wanna to serve in that way. Can you share a little bit more about how you have now partnered with Jack's Basket?

SPEAKER_00 23:02

Yeah, so not long after we received the basket, I began following this organization. Like what kind, you know, you're kind of like, who are these people that just gave me this incredible gift? And I was kind of following them on social media and seeing what they were up to and seeing that this is uh a pretty big operation, making sure that they try to get these baskets in the hand of every hands of everyone who receives a Down syndrome diagnosis for their child. And so eventually it led to me really feeling prompted that I wanted to be a volunteer and and get involved and help. And what's awesome about the organization is that every basket that is hand delivered, some have to be shipped if there is no one in the area to deliver, but every basket that is hand delivered is delivered by a parent of a child with Down syndrome. And so it comes with this connection. And so I I applied to be a volunteer to deliver these baskets, and it's just been this incredible gift for me to sit with so many families and offer them hope and encouragement and to celebrate their baby. Like when I come into these homes, have the privilege of sitting with parents or visiting at the hospital and getting to meet these babies. I have just this overwhelming celebration inside of me. And I know they might not even be ready for it, just like I wasn't ready for it, but that they will remember that someone came in and told them in those moments, feel what you need to feel and adjust to a course and a path that's going to look a little bit different than you expected. But I cannot begin to tell you the joy and the beauty that is coming to your family. And I need you to know how worthy this child is of being celebrated. And it's such an honor to do it. And so what's been crazy is that as I've stepped into this role and have just developed this new passion, and the passion comes out of me seeing the impact that this organization has. People donate and people, you know, pray and do things kind of in a bird's eye view. But when you're on the ground delivering these baskets, looking these parents in the eyes, meeting these families, it really transforms you and propels you to want to continue to just preach this message of hope and encouragement and celebration. So I think out of me has just flown this desire, has grown this desire to advocate and I take any opportunity I can to speak. If someone gives me a, gives me an opportunity to speak at a in an event. I I want this message to be preached. I want people to hear about this incredible work that's being done. And God has just opened door after door. I did a couple of fundraising events, and that kind of led to me speaking, traveling to speak at an event out in Minnesota. Then a door opened. Fox News ended up coming into our home and doing a little feature last year on our family and our work with Jack's Basket. And the craziest of all is uh back in March, I ended up on the Kelly Clarkson show with so amazing. God just showing off. Just wild. And I always pray that he'll open one more door after each thing I do and each time I have an opportunity to proclaim this message that I think he's given to me as a purpose. I pray, would you open one more door, one more door? And I never expected one of those doors to be a call from a producer at the Kelly Clarkson show to come out and with with along with the founder Krista Carroll of Jack's Basket to share what the organization is doing and how our family was impacted by the organization. But we got a chance to do that for World Down Syndrome Day back in this past March. But God is, yeah, he he's opening doors and it's been such confirmation for me that he wants this message to be heard.

SPEAKER_01 27:10

Yeah, and it's such evidence of of kingdom work, you know, it's where you're ministering to others and yet you're being ministered to all at the same time. Yes. You know, that you go into to speak truth over these families and yet you walk away changed. And it's just such evidence, like this is how you know you're doing. This is like the real stuff. Yeah. This is the stuff we're we're called to, and it's just such evidence of God's work in your life, and to be used in that way is so so deeply humbling, but yet it's just it's overwhelming at the same time. Yeah. This is so perfectly leading us into your verse that you had chosen, because I think what you just described so beautifully um exemplifies what this verse tells us. Would you mind sharing the verse that um has really been impactful in your life and also I think evidence of what God has been doing?

SPEAKER_00 28:01

Absolutely. It's 2 Corinthians 1, 3 through 4. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. And it's it's a verse I'm living by now. And a quick story about it is that when I was debating if I was going to volunteer with Jack's Basket, because you know, I had just barely gotten my head above water with all of Olivia's medical stuff, and I was spread thin and tired, to be honest. But I felt this, I felt compelled. I kind of felt this call. And uh it was a Sunday afternoon we had already done our church and I led worship, but then we were visiting my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's church, and and I sat in the pew, and it, you know, when you serve in church, it's it's kind of one thing, but I was getting to just sit in a service and I just felt like, okay, I'm I'm gonna receive something today. I'm just I'm here and I get to just take in what the message is. And this was the verse that the preacher preached on that day when I'm in this exact season of life deciding if this is gonna be the step that I take. And I just remember weeping in the pew and thinking this guy probably thinks I'm crazy because then I'm in this kind of small church and he's looking out, seeing a visitor, just crying. I just cried through the whole message because I knew God was speaking to me through this verse. You you have received so much comfort. Like it is time to be a minister of this hope and this this comfort to others. And so, yeah, that so it really was the verse that propelled me to go ahead and take that step of faith to apply to get involved. And then I think about it now all the time as I get to be this beacon and minister of hope and encouragement to others. Praise, praise be to God for this because he uh comforted me and in my in the news that I thought was gonna wreck me, and and now I get to be the one to bring that comfort to others.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

And yet in through that, he probably is still comforting you.

SPEAKER_00 30:19

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

Because as you and I were talking about offline, you know, there is another side to our journeys that sometimes some days are a little hard, you know, some days are harder. And so I can imagine that you having a hard day and then going to minister to these family almost reinvigorates you, refreshes you, renews your mind, reminds you of hope, you know, because we are a forgetful people, you know, and so that's why we read the word and that's why we live in community so that we can constantly constantly be reminded of the hope we have in Jesus. You know, I think that there are a lot of really well-meaning people within the church that want to serve and minister and comfort um in ways that they're not sure how to, you know, um, if it's not a journey they're walking, it's almost a little bit of like they say don't know what to say is the right thing, what's the wrong thing? And so can you just speak a little to maybe some of the misconceptions around um either, you know, specific to Down syndrome or maybe even just the special needs community, how they're viewed um within the church, outside the church, you know, what is your what would what message would you want to give to someone who's looking to maybe um be a little bit more of a support system to those in their lives that you know they come in contact with that are walking this journey?

SPEAKER_00 31:36

Yeah, I love that question. And I think a mindset shift that God has given me, um, if I could share that, it really kind of helps, I think then actions flow out of kind of that mindset shift. And and here's the mindset shift he's given me. Um, as I mentioned earlier, you know, him teaching me about what makes a person valuable and worthy and to be created in his image and fearfully and wonderfully made, like we are already assigned this incredible dignity and value by our Heavenly Father. But the reality is the world has its measuring rods of how we value people. And so being aware of this tension between what God says about us and about each person versus what the world says and how easily and kind of subconsciously we can tend to gravitate toward the way that the world views people. Um I think having an awareness of that and and working against it. And for me, taking it to the next step of actually Jesus surprised us with who he assigned honor and esteem and incredible value to. Yes. And so I sometimes think to myself, what if, you know, this child that I have with special needs that is always going to be fighting uh people putting limits on her and devaluing her and her maybe not measuring up in earthly standards? What if in the topsy turvy kingdom of God, she is one of the ones with the most honor and the most value and she is highly esteemed? What if, and what if in God's kingdom the least are going to be the greatest? The least in the world's eyes are truly going to be the greatest. If that's true, it totally and radically shifts the way that I live in the here and now, the way that I treat each and every person. And I'm not just talking about the way that we cliche be kind to everybody. Um, I'm talking about a deeper level of intentionality toward who are the people around me that might be considered the least in the eyes of the world. And that it could be the dis people with disabilities, a disability community. It could be a whole bunch of other people that socioeconomic status, or for whatever reason, they're viewed as the least in the eyes of the world. How can I be intentional about showing them the honor that Christ has for them and his heart for them? And I think that if we have that mental shift and we fight against the daily urge to give people value based off of their power or their influence or their success or what they look like. And instead, we really are seeking out those that might have a special place of esteem in the kingdom of God and proclaiming that in the here, the here and now, I think it will change the way that we live and the way that we interact with people. It will make us intentional toward inclusion. Um, inclusion is one thing, but inclusion motivated by really esteeming and valuing each person the way that God does, it inclusion will just flow out of who we are. We will take the extra step to say, how can this person be a part of our community? And how can this family, how can we love on this family? Um, and so yeah, I think that's just that's one of the biggest ways that I would encourage people of how how we can live this out, do, do better in this area, or if people have a heart and they're like, How can I, how can I spread awareness or practically do better myself? I think I think it can really come out of that mindset shift.

SPEAKER_01 35:55

Yeah, and I'm just thinking about what you're saying, and that's the difference between um understanding that we are all image bearers and bear the image of God and seeing each person as that. And um, because I do think uh an instinct that others sometimes have in their abil their attempt to be kind is pity. And so this is the difference here. What you said is the difference between having pity and and even whether it's in the way that they approach Olivia or in the way they even try to comfort you, as opposed to seeing her as an image bearer of Christ that has something to teach us all. And that is the gift that we get to be have as parents because we know how much they have taught us. And it's just a matter of does the world notice noting that too. Like the the gift that they bring, the the lessons that they teach us, the the way that Christ and is revealed through them and their very intentional life um and purposeful life that um yeah, I think that that is exactly the message I would hope people could get today. I just thank you so much for like for um articulating so well the beauty um of Olivia and her story and your story and your family's story. Is there anything that we did not touch on that you wanted to um wanted to say?

SPEAKER_00 37:25

Um I think I would just I would just add um that as we as we proclaim this this value, this esteem that on others, that this worth, this this message that we're preaching of of you are made in the image of God. You know, I'm I'm really I'm seeking to receive that message for myself as well. Um this is this isn't just if if if you don't have anyone in your life with special needs, I don't want you to think you can just tune out right now. Like this message is for each and every one of us that we have received this this love from our father who we are, um, just as we are, without having to strive to earn it or deserve it or measure up in any way. And so it's it's just a powerful message that I'm learning and receiving for myself. And then, you know, I would I would want to encourage as well, like any moms on this journey, just to know that you are it it feels alone, lonely sometimes, and just to remember that you are not alone and and to know that the work that you are doing, the investment that you're making in your child and and in their lives, it's it's it's beautiful and holy work that is um so inherently purposeful and meaningful.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

Well said. So is that your live it out?

SPEAKER_00 39:00

Yeah, yeah. Tell me your live it out. Yeah, I think I think that is my live it out, is is just um for me as well. I I want to continue to do this this good work that he's given me to do of showcasing the value of each person, but then internalizing that for myself as well. And I think this is such an important message for moms who sometimes don't see the tangible purpose and accolade in our day-to-day of the burdens that we're carrying and the the way that we really live lives poured out in sacrifice, and just to remember that that that same celebration I'm proclaiming over the life of a baby when I enter someone's home is what God declares over me, that He is He is so for me and He is loving me and I'm so precious and valuable in His sight. So really live living it out is is fighting my own urge to pick out my flaws and feel like I don't measure up and always be seeking to prove my worth and to just rest in in who I am in him.

SPEAKER_01 40:19

Oh, that's so powerful. Yes, Lindsay, you are also fearfully and wonderfully made. Yeah, that's that's a beautiful, beautiful reminder for every single person. My Live It Out, I think for me, I definitely could do that for myself as well. But I'm convicted in as a um as a mom of a child with disabilities, I love to to and offer hope and encouragement to other moms as well, walking um similar roads. But I do think that sometimes I can get lost in acknowledging the hard. And I think that sometimes in doing that, I forget to also make sure I'm balancing that with the hope. I'm feeling convicted in that. And I think that I need to proclaim that a little bit more, you know. I I as Brooklyn has has gone through, you know, a lot of medical challenges and her body changing and her getting older. I think that I always, you know, valued being honest about her journey and it was challenging at times, but there's still so much hope there. And I think I I need to remember to acknowledge that I don't think I've I've shared a lot of that lately, you know, because it also her story becomes very personal, you know. There's a point where her story is hers to tell and not mine to tell. But um I still think it's important for all of us to testify to the hope that we see. Um, and so I feel like I need to do that more. I don't know what that looks like yet. I'm I need to pray about it, but um, I am really encouraged and comforted um by your message of hope. I mean, it's Brooklyn's middle name, for goodness sakes, here, you know. So what a what a specific message for me today. So thank you for that. Would you mind praying us out?

SPEAKER_00 42:02

I would be honored. Thank you, Lord, for this time that you've blessed us with today, and thank you for these stories that you've given to us and how if we just take a moment to look back, we can see so faithfully your presence in every detail and every moment and how you've guided us through. We praise you for being a God of redemption, a God who brings purpose out of pain, a God who brings beauty even on the difficult road. And so I just pray for each person listening here today that they would receive a message of hope, a message of encouragement today. If if if we need to be pricked and prodded a little bit in a way that grows us and challenges us, I pray that you would do that as you so faithfully do in a merciful and gracious way for us. And I just pray as well for the special, the mom out there of a child with special needs, that you would give her a special dose of your encouragement today, that we would rest, each one of us would rest so firmly, so confidently in who we are in you, that we would receive that in our hearts and that we would proclaim that over each other in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_01 43:17

Amen. Okay, listeners, let us be a community of believers who see the value, the beauty, and the purpose in every person God has created. He alone, and then