

Heaven’s Music
by Judy DuCharme
My second child, a boy, had just been born. He would be Christopher Lee and we couldnโt be happier. I was still a little groggy from the C-section as my husband, our pediatrician, and my surgeon all came in to see me. As they took my hand, I got nervous.ย Christopher had been born with Down Syndrome. As tears and shock took over, I asked, โCan he go home with us?โ
Yes, he would go home with us, but the concerns of having a special needs child were new territory. How did this happen? Why? What would the future hold? The glorious joy of a new child slipped away to be covered with apprehension. Friends and family came to see us.ย It was all a blur. People from church came to pray for Christopher โ I loved that. I loved my son, my baby.
The second morning in the hospital I awoke with the awareness that a song was coursing through my being. The song woke me up . . . in more ways than one. I heard in full melody, โAwake my soul and sing of Him who died for me . . .โย (from the hymn โCrown Him with Many Crownsโ) It was loud within me. I knew in that moment that fear could not be my controller. I had to put my trust in God for Christopher and for me. I had to praise Him for what He would do in my son.
Chris is now 40. He works part-time but is a full-time participant in life. Heโs healthy, a good worker, a fair communicator, an excellent swimmer, has a good sense of humor, and is a consummate Green Bay Packer fan. Most of all though, he is a praiser. In all his ways, he acknowledges God and has a song of praise to go with every situation. He owns more worship CDs than most people and knows the song and the artist.
And still, I remember when times are great and when times are a challenge to awake my soul and sing of Him who died for me. And I am thankful for that constant reminder.
Discover more aboutย Judyย and herย award-winning booksย here. A Door County native, Judy divides her time between Door County and sunny Florida. When she isn’t crafting tales in her head, she is spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren. Judy’s author interview can be found on Ambassador International’sย YouTubeย page.ย
Forgiveness โ Let it Go
There it was again. I was out walking, enjoying the day, and my mind reached down and pulled up that hurtful memory like a cow pulling up its cud to chew. And chew I did. I was there again. I rehearsed what they said, what they did. It was simply wrong. It wasnโt true or right. I saw their expression. It hurt. It made me mad. My body tensed. All the words I should have said coursed through me.
Finally, I said to myself, โThat was five years ago! WHY am I thinking about that now? I thought I forgot that.โ Obviously, I had not. As I settled down and focused on why I was remembering so vividly rather than what I was remembering, I had the thought that perhaps I needed to forgive.
The word forgive comes from the Greek word aphiemi which means to release or send away. Bottom line: it means to let it go.
Unforgiveness puts us in a prison of torment. They say itโs like preparing poison for the person you havenโt forgiven and then drinking it yourself, not understanding why they donโt change.
Unforgiveness makes us ugly. We think we are unaffected, except for what they did to us. The truth is we become difficult to be around. Perhaps we are always the victim, promoting the poor-me attitude. Perhaps we put up a wall so no one else can hurt us or deceive us. We also may get aggressive, just to make sure no one has the opportunity to do anything against us.
Forgiveness sets us free. Most of us think it lets the other person off the hook. Not so. It does not deny what they did or that it was wrong. They will have to answer to God, to themselves, and perhaps the civil/criminal court of law. But we can be free of their sinโs control over us. That person may not even know anyone was offended. Itโs possible their comment or action was inadvertent. And, certainly, it may have been on purpose, mean-spirited, and downright evil. Either way, forgiveness sets us free from those chains.
Forgiveness is the highest order of life.ย If you forgive constantly, if you make a habit of letting it go, life is a joy.ย It destroys the stumbling blocks of anger, frustration, resentment, bitterness, and wariness that seem to place themselves right in your path. You have the opportunity every day to take offense, but it will be poison in your veins.ย Forgiveness cleanses you, protects you, and so blesses others. Why not begin developing the habit? As with any habit, you will have to practice. Sometimes you may need to forgive the same thing many times, but it becomes easier and easier.
I spent a whole summer walking and forgiving.ย It seemed all those things that had festered below the surface were brought up to my mind, like the cream rising to the top so it could be skimmed away. I learned to let it go, to skim it away. Some were easier than others, but I began to develop a pattern, and I began to learn to recognize the poison for what it was. Looking back, a lot of good doors opened after that summer. I think when those ugly thoughts arenโt dominating our thinking that we are so much more open to hearing Godโs thoughts and good plans for us.
I still have to work at it at times, but life is so much better when I let it.
Judy DuCharme is an award-winning author of six books, with more coming soon. When she’s not writing in Wisconsin, she’s walking Florida’s sunny beaches, pondering her next story,