EARS
"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked.
When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of the blanket to look at his face, she gasped,"Oh my goodness."
The doctor turned his head to glance out the window. He was at a loss for words as he tried to compose himself to tell her, "He was born with no cartilage for his outer ears. We won't know until later when he is older, whether or not he is able to hear. But examing his inner ear lobe it seems everything is fine and it doesn't seem any damage done to his inner oracle organs."
As the baby grew older it was determined that his hearing was fine and was not affected in any way. It was only his appearance that was different.
One day, when he was in second grade, he ran home crying. As soon as he entered the house and saw his mother he ran into her arms, clung tightly to her and sobbed, "Mom, the other kids are laughing and making fun of me. How come I don't have ears like everybody else? The kids are calling me a "freak" and said I'm from another planet. Am I normal, mom? How come I don't look like everybody else?"
The mother was heartbroken and couldn't find the proper words that would make him feel better. She knew he would always have to go through this type of torment from the other children.
"It's okay, son. I love you." she said as she tried to comfort him. "You don't look like everybody else because you're special. God made you unique. Maybe someday, God will allow you to have ears like the other kids."
That evening the mother sat down and talked to her husband about what transpired with their son.
"We need to find a way to help him." She told him. "We cannot let him suffer all the teasing and bullying that he will have to face from other children."
Years passed, although the boy had this misfortune of being born without ears, he did very well. He had such a wonderful attitude and never let it get him down. Because of his attitude, he developed a great character and many of his schoolmates liked him very much. He became very popular. He also discovered he had a gift for literature and music.
Eventually, his parents had a meeting with the family physician. Again, the parents asked if there was anything that can be done for their son.
"I believe I can recommend you to a surgeon who could possibly graft a pair of outer ears for your son. But only if there will be a donor." the physician assured them.
The parents then began placing requests for donors so their son could have ears grafted. They exhausted all possible resources when finally, two years later, someone was willing to make the sacrifice to give their son a pair of ears.
"Son, we will be taking you to the hospital in a few weeks." the father told his son. "Your mother and I have found someone who will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret who the donor is so you won't know who it is."
When the time came, the boy had the operation done. It was a great success and a new person emerged. His confidence grew. His talents blossomed and he became a genius. He was victorious in school and college. Later he married and became a very influential person in his hometown.
One day, while he was visiting his parents, he went outside with his father and they began discussing everything from his birth to where he is now.
"Dad, I need to know.... who gave me these ears?" The young man asked. "I owe that person so much. They need to know just how blessed I became once I received their wonderful donation. I want them to know how it made a huge impact in my life."
"Well, son" the father began to speak, "The agreement was that we wouldn't tell you. At least not now. Maybe sometime in the future. Rest assured, that the donor is well aware of how they blessed you." Then the father smiled as he put his hand on his son's shoulder and they began walking back to the house.
As years passed, one of the darkest days of the young mans life finally came.... his mother passed away. As he stood with his father over his mother's casket, his father stretched forth his hand, slowly and tenderly he raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal his mother had no outer ears.
"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," the son gently whispered, "and no matter how long, tangled or stringy it looked, nobody ever thought Mother was less beautiful did they?"
Real beauty lies not in the physical appearances, but in the heart. Real treasure lies not in that which can be seen, but in that which cannot be seen. Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in that which is done but not known.
May you all have a JESUSful and God-filled day!
Shalom!