He was a thirty-old man with the continuous thoughts of anticipated fatherhood milling through his mind.  Working hard as a high school math teacher, he took great pride in providing for his family.  Believing in his heart that he and his wife were going to have a daughter, he suggested the name “Kristen,”—a name he treasured for one of the swimmers on the team he coached.

The day finally came when he met his firstborn—a little girl, but with that meeting also came immense fear, dread, anxiety and anger.  His newborn entered this world with many challenges—dislocated hips, club feet, crossed eyes, a heart murmur, and the list goes on.  With each medical problem, this father went into fix-it mode.

“How can it be resolved?’ he would ask.

That is, until a physician approached him and said, “I think it is time that you realize you don’t have a problem with a child, but you have a child with a problem attached.”

This statement impacted my father not just that day but in all the years ahead.  One sentence, one phrase, one word, one gesture—sometimes that’s all it takes.

Lord, help us to make a difference, no matter how small we think it is.  In Your name, Amen.