Saving Levi, You and Me

Tonight I came face to face with Jesus.

Not in a conceited way. But in a way that made me understand His unconditional love for us, unlike anything that I have experienced in a long time. I watched my 4, 6 and 8 year old sons morph into the likeness of Christ…right before my very eyes.

Lisa Bentley and her 4 year old son Levi are in town from Beijing, China. They were in the United States to celebrate the release of Lisa’s new book, Saving Levi. I was excited for my family to spend time with them at dinner. And like an idiot, when she asked where we were going to eat, I responded, “How about Chinese?” Dummy. She politely accepted and we were soon off to eat the brand of food that she eats every day for every meal. Sometimes my lack of originality blows me away.

Young Levi is the most amazing child that I have ever met…ever. He was found lying in the middle of a rice field in China in his burial clothes saturated with body fluids from burns on over 75% of his body. His 6 month old body was left for dead. It was only by the grace of God that a villager found him and rushed him to John and Lisa Bentley’s orphanage. Through many surgeries and multiple brushes with death, Levi is alive…perhaps the understatement of the year. He is FULL of life. After many years of red tape, their adoption is final.

The fire took its’ toll. Levi’s left arm was amputated and his right hand only has 4 partial nubs. His face and body is quite disfigured with burns. Apparently, he doesn’t seem to understand his limitations.

With tears running down my cheek, I watched as Gabe, Luke and Nate embraced this child that looked like no other child they had ever seen. Never mind the fact that they had never played with a little boy from China. They have never laid there eyes on a child whom the world would see as unlikable and perhaps unattractive as Levi. Not these kids. You would think that they were brothers from the first second they met. At one point I looked over to see them playing some form of “ring around the rosie.” One problem…the object of the game is to hold hands. Luke didn’t miss a beat. He grabbed the stub of Levi’s left arm and continued the circular motion.

At dinner I looked over and saw Levi patiently showing my boys how to use chopsticks. And yes, he works them marvelously.

I watched intently as Luke and Nate noticed Levi’s hidden left amputated arm come out of his shirtsleeve. It was as if it happened in slow motion. I once again was moved to tears as Luke reached over and gently rubbed the end of his stub…as if to say, “It’s gonna be alright, buddy.”

I was reminded of a God who looks at me with all of my flaws, and constantly reminds me of His unwavering love. My God really looks at my malformations and loves me in spite of them? Can He really look past my scars? Is it possible that the same God who threw the stars into the sky is the same God who cares about my pain?

Absolutely. He even knows the number of hairs on my head…although I’m making it easier and easier for Him to keep up with.

Remember that. Just as my boys were able to see past the obvious, and instead concentrate on Levi’s heart…your God does the same for you. He loves you for who you are, not what you or the world thinks you should be.

We, too were that child laying in the field. Without a miracle and the grace of God, we would be dead. Instead, God reaches down, scoops us up and adopts us into His family. What an amazing family it is!