We are all human

I've been thinking a great deal lately about the common human journey of all mankind. King Solomon penned a lot about this concept, which we now find throughout the book of Ecclesiastes.  How the rain falls on all men - and the sun shines upon us all as well.  Suffering and sorrow come to all men in some form or another at some point.  And death waits for everyman.  Tragedy can strike any of us at any point and joyous things happen to the rich and the poor, and to both the famous and the unknown.  We are all not so different as we may think or wish we were. 

Today, while at the zoo, my twenty-two month old daughter, Maya, suddenly fell from her stroller and hit her head quite hard on the concrete pavement.  We were there with the two youngest Chapman girls and their babysitter, Melissa.  Needless to say, we all over-reacted.  We let out a bunch of screams in the crowd.  I held Maya and prayed over her while she vomitted on me a couple of times. And soon we found ourselves at the local emergency room trying to hold Maya still for a catscan.  There in the hospital, I was again reminded of the fragility of this life and how uncertain each moment can be for anyone of us.  We all prayed a great deal, especially the little girls ....and Maya was eventually given a clean bill of health and discharged the same day.  When we called and told Stevey Joy that Maya was OK - I heard her little voice praise the Lord for hearing her prayers. 

We left the hospital just in time to go to the airport and pick up Scott who was arriving from his time in LA with the Chapmans.  Life has a lot of rushing around it seems as well.   

You see, this is life - our common life. And we, who are doing the rushing around, are all human.  And we all hurt.  We all question why.  We all hope and dream.  The rain falls on us all and the sun shines on us all as well. We all need love and understanding.  We all need redemption and healing. We are all human.   And God knew this and became one of us in order to save us. As my mother used to always say to me, "There is not a choice between us."  We all need what God has to give! " For God so loved the whole world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him shall not die, but will have eternal life." John 3:16

Let us judge one another less and pray far more for one another!

For those of you who would like a glimpse into the humanity of Larry King - a common traveler upon this same human road, then I encourage you to watch the 90 second video which was recorded after the Chapman interview last evening which can be accessed from the link below.   It really touched me and inspired me to pray. 

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/08/08/lkl.about.thurs.cnn?iref=videosearch

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Comments

[Sarah]

Beautifully said - full of grace, and truth. Thank you!

I just sent you an email asking about Maya. Then I checked your blog... duh! So I got my answer. :-) I'm so glad she's o.k. But I'm sorry it was scary. I can also imagine how hard it was for the little girls and Cole. They know firsthand how quickly life can turn upside down. May you all have a peaceful night (er, morning...I'm on Montana time).

[Cindy]

I am happy your daughter is okay...how frightening! In the video from LKL, I was surprised how honest Larry King was about his own faith and spiritual life. The Chapmans' hour on his program obviously struck a chord with him - I pray God will open his eyes to who He is and give Mr. King the faith to believe.

Cindy
http://adopttaiwan.wordpress.com

[Shane]

First, I'm so glad your daughter is OK. Thank you for sharing your story and its implications. The video of Larry King is amazing. Thank you for the link. The entire presentation was very impressive and I wondered how he was moved.

[Ann]

Kerry, Thank you for sharing. I continue to pray for you daily. --Ann from Minnesota

[elaine]

I'm so glad she is ok. I remember when my son fell and hit his head on the hard floor from the back of a couch (he is now 16... and I'm beginning to wonder... it's showing it's effects now! HAHA)... I was scared to death and we were living in Germany at the time. Talk about not knowing what to do.... But God is always taking care of us... and always has His big and mighty hand on everything, even when it doesn't feel like it for us.

i love your blog... I treat it as a "devotional"... and thank you for always leading me towards a bigger trust in Him or to just pray.

[Michele]

So glad your daughter is fine. My daughter fell and hit her head and needed stitches a couple of years ago. It took me many weeks to forget the sound of her little head hitting the coffee table. Even small accidents affect us so much. With all that has happened recently, I'm sure this gave the Chapman girls and all of you a really big scare. So good to hear that even the little ones are still praising!

The LKL interview was so incredible and it touched many lives, including obviously, the host! God on prime time TV weaving his mysterious ways!

Thanks for your blog updates.

[Debbie from Ohio]

Praise God for His protection over little Maya...God bless!

[Nancy from California]

Kerry, I have been praying for the whole Chapman family for several months now and as I have sought out more information to pray more specifically I have read Jim's, Grace's, and now your blogs. My prayers have grown and widened as I have learned about you and your family and the challenges you have faced/are facing as well. My condolences for Isabella and shouts of joy and praises that Maya is all right. I can't imagine what your day was like after all that all of you have been through in 2008.
I will continue to read and continue to pray. Thank you for your insight and wisdom on your blog.
Also, I have prayed for Larry King several times when he has had guests such as Billy Graham and Lisa Beamer (husband killed on flight 93) He has appeared to be seeking for awhile. I am glad God used the Chapman family to have a profound impact on him and I will continue to pray for him too.
Nancy Wilson

[Cindi M.]

Dear Kerry,

I'm praising the Lord that Maya is well.

Thanks for your insights on this life's journey. Your thoughts always seem to impact me.

Love to all your family.

[Misty and Sarah]

Kerri~
Thank you for being so transparent in your every day life. I am praising the Lord that your precious baby is going to be alright. You are such an inspiration to so many. I am getting ready to leave for China to work for the Phillip Hayden Foundation. I am looking forward to reading some of your challanging devotions to the women going.
May God Bless~
Misty

[Cathy]

I so appreciate and relate to your post as I too feel like so much has been going on lately. I found and have been visiting your blog as a result of the Chapman's unthinkable loss. Although my experience is different than yours, I feel certain elements of your lives echoed in mine.

My husband and I experienced infertility for seven long years (almost my whole thirties) and ultimately pregnancy loss. I became very acquainted with grief, sadness and suffering. Even as a Christian, it rocked me to my core and threatened everything I believed was important. In my quest for survival and understanding, I also met others who had lost pregnancies and children. In one sense, it was horrifying to me to see so much pain and in another sense, I learned to have compassion for others who hurt. One of the many things that helped me besides my faith, support groups (both in person and online), and counseling, was a website called silentgrief.com by Clara Hinton. You can register for periodic e-mails that offer encouragement for those working through grief. I thought of you when I received my newsletter this morning.

P.S. - I'm now 39 years old and a thankful mommy to one beautiful son who will be 1 year old soon.

Here is the newsletter:

August 12, 2008

Has life let you down? Are you feeling alone in your pain?

Do the clouds seem to remain hovering above your head

like a constant threat of another impending storm? If so,

then you are walking this path we call grief. It can be

a long, hard walk, but....the good news is that for

every step you take, you are one step closer to finding

a place of peace and rest and comfort in this "new normal"

that you now must live.

Nature has beautiful displays of hope and inspiration that have

been placed on this earth for us to use for comfort, shelter,

and inspiration. There are trees that have been weather-beaten,

yet they remain standing tall. There are flowers that have been

stepped on, yet they bounce back. There are seeds that have

been dropped and forgotten about, but they take root and bloom.

Remember that you, unlike the forgotten seed, have a Father

watching over you who will never leave you alone. You have

a special strength planted deep within your soul known as "hope"

that will never leave you. Take time today to reflect on nature

and feel the peace that overrides your sadness. Take a moment

every day to allow your heart, mind, and eyes to soak up some

of nature's beauty and be encouraged. There is joy beyond

this day of loss. There is peace to be found. There is a very

special gift waiting for you. There is hope. -Clara Hinton

"A day with nature is a day of hope." --Clara Hinton

"In quietness and trust is your strength." --Isaiah 30:15b

[Deb]

Praising God that Maya is OK, and praying that Larry King comes to realize it isn't a leap of blind faith, but one step towards Jesus that begins the adventure and journey of an eternal lifetime with Him!