the reverend sydney smith
It's 9:30 p.m. in the Smith house and all is pretty quiet at this hour. I go in to check on Ben and Syd in their room and Ben is snoring. Syd, however, is up reading with a flashlight. "This is so sad," he says. I'm thinking he's reading a novel, but as I get closer I see instead a textbook. He has it open to a study on the environment, about how people are polluting water sources. "Why do people do this?" he says, truly upset. "And why do people keep building and cutting down trees?"
I know he'll probably be up talking to God about this. Seemingly out of nowhere, he has developed a passion for taking care of the earth. Syd has a heart for Jesus, and I know this passion didn't really just materialize. That God put it there.
We are running late and out the door on the way to school. "I forgot my Bible," he says from the backseat as I pull out of the driveway. I tell him we don't have time to go back and get it. There is silence from the backseat and I turn around to look at him. Tears are beginning to form as he tells me, "but I have to give God the first part of my day." I wordlessly pull back into the drive and go in to get his Bible. Tardy for Jesus, that's my baby.
This is Syd, our almost nine-year-old pastor and little boy. As we drive to school, he reads to me from Leviticus, the place he's at as he has begun to read his way through the Bible. He cannot believe all the blood sacrifices and instructions described. "So gross," he comments.
This blonde boy of ours came into the world by c-section after 24 hours of labor. His beautiful peaceful face was the first thing I remember seeing, followed by a nurse telling us there was something wrong with his hand. That he was missing fingers. No one could explain it, but in the days that followed, different doctors tried to. They wanted to study Syd, to ask questions, share their theories. Was it genetic? No. Was I on drugs? No. Abused? No. We quickly tired of the questions and were tempted to blame ourselves.
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in Him." John 9:3. This is the verse my dad had for Syd after he was born and we were struggling, feeling sad one moment and so thankful the next that Syd was healthy in every other way. His missing fingers were a very small thing compared to other physical defects some children are born with.
There was so much prayer over Syd's life in the first weeks, as doctors continued to check his health. As we received cards of congratulations, Syd also received stacks of emails, prayers from intercessors, scripture that was prayed over him.
We know without a shadow of a doubt that God heard every one of those prayers. Anyone who knows Syd will testify that he is an amazing light of God. It has nothing to do with anything but God and the fact He turned his face towards Sydney when he was born. And it was the prayers of many, who prayed into Syd a destiny, a calling on his little life.
Syd would tell you he gave his life to Jesus when he was six and is looking forward to being baptized again this April. He was baptized as an infant, but after watching people at our church being baptized fully immersed, he told us he wants to do that as well.
His calm spirit is such a gift from God. He is tenderhearted and compassionate, slow to anger and fast to smile. As a toddler I watched him try again and again to climb on play equipment that was easy for other 2 year olds. I wanted to help but stood by knowing I could always step in if he got overwhelmed. Incredibly, Sydney didn't get frustrated, but kept trying over and over until he could do it. God built into him an incredible patience and focus. A joy for life. His brother Ben adores him and often tells me when they grow up they are going to live together.
"What if one of you wants to get married? Then what?" I ask him. "Syd's not getting married," he tells me. "He said I can live with him." I guess it's a given that Ben isn't planning on marriage. We'll see how things progress over the next twenty years.
When God comes into the middle of our trials and our suffering, He does more than get us through. He comes in like a steamroller over the enemy's plans and lights up our lives to be a brilliant display of His handiwork.
When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain't just putting on the ritz
(Our God is an awesome God)
There's thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists
(from the lyrics of Awesome God, Rich Mullins)
I am so humbled by the hand of God so evident in the life of my children. He does more than settle for okay, He wants "glorious marvelous crazy work of God" to be written all over us, and He gets it every single time we say, yes God, please do it God! For your glory, God!
I know he'll probably be up talking to God about this. Seemingly out of nowhere, he has developed a passion for taking care of the earth. Syd has a heart for Jesus, and I know this passion didn't really just materialize. That God put it there.
We are running late and out the door on the way to school. "I forgot my Bible," he says from the backseat as I pull out of the driveway. I tell him we don't have time to go back and get it. There is silence from the backseat and I turn around to look at him. Tears are beginning to form as he tells me, "but I have to give God the first part of my day." I wordlessly pull back into the drive and go in to get his Bible. Tardy for Jesus, that's my baby.
This is Syd, our almost nine-year-old pastor and little boy. As we drive to school, he reads to me from Leviticus, the place he's at as he has begun to read his way through the Bible. He cannot believe all the blood sacrifices and instructions described. "So gross," he comments.
This blonde boy of ours came into the world by c-section after 24 hours of labor. His beautiful peaceful face was the first thing I remember seeing, followed by a nurse telling us there was something wrong with his hand. That he was missing fingers. No one could explain it, but in the days that followed, different doctors tried to. They wanted to study Syd, to ask questions, share their theories. Was it genetic? No. Was I on drugs? No. Abused? No. We quickly tired of the questions and were tempted to blame ourselves.
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in Him." John 9:3. This is the verse my dad had for Syd after he was born and we were struggling, feeling sad one moment and so thankful the next that Syd was healthy in every other way. His missing fingers were a very small thing compared to other physical defects some children are born with.
There was so much prayer over Syd's life in the first weeks, as doctors continued to check his health. As we received cards of congratulations, Syd also received stacks of emails, prayers from intercessors, scripture that was prayed over him.
We know without a shadow of a doubt that God heard every one of those prayers. Anyone who knows Syd will testify that he is an amazing light of God. It has nothing to do with anything but God and the fact He turned his face towards Sydney when he was born. And it was the prayers of many, who prayed into Syd a destiny, a calling on his little life.
Syd would tell you he gave his life to Jesus when he was six and is looking forward to being baptized again this April. He was baptized as an infant, but after watching people at our church being baptized fully immersed, he told us he wants to do that as well.
His calm spirit is such a gift from God. He is tenderhearted and compassionate, slow to anger and fast to smile. As a toddler I watched him try again and again to climb on play equipment that was easy for other 2 year olds. I wanted to help but stood by knowing I could always step in if he got overwhelmed. Incredibly, Sydney didn't get frustrated, but kept trying over and over until he could do it. God built into him an incredible patience and focus. A joy for life. His brother Ben adores him and often tells me when they grow up they are going to live together.
"What if one of you wants to get married? Then what?" I ask him. "Syd's not getting married," he tells me. "He said I can live with him." I guess it's a given that Ben isn't planning on marriage. We'll see how things progress over the next twenty years.
When God comes into the middle of our trials and our suffering, He does more than get us through. He comes in like a steamroller over the enemy's plans and lights up our lives to be a brilliant display of His handiwork.
When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain't just putting on the ritz
(Our God is an awesome God)
There's thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists
(from the lyrics of Awesome God, Rich Mullins)
I am so humbled by the hand of God so evident in the life of my children. He does more than settle for okay, He wants "glorious marvelous crazy work of God" to be written all over us, and He gets it every single time we say, yes God, please do it God! For your glory, God!