Book Review: A Good and Perfect Gift by Amy Julia Beckert

Every once in a while, I casually pick up a book at the library and am completely blessed by it.

Such was true with A Good and Perfect Gift, by Amy Julia Beckert.

Amy is a Christian mother of 3 children, and the eldest was unexpectedly born with Down Syndrome.  Amy herself is an intellectual person with a stellar academic career.  At the time of her first daughter's birth, Amy and her husband were "house parents" at a very elite boarding school whose attendees were all college bound.  It was an environment where academic achievement was celebrated and lauded, and mental and physical limitations were largely unknown.

It came as a terrible shock for Amy when her little girl was born with DS.  The book chronicles that shock and the subsequent struggles both in terms of caring for her daughter (who had a few minor health issues like hearing loss) and the grieving of her picture of "the ideal daughter".

It is an honest book and a very happy one. Because Amy and her husband loved their darling from the start, and soon embraced Down Syndrome as an ingetral part of who their daughter is.  There was much wrestling with DS but through the Lord, she triumphed over her fears for her daughter and her future.

I can relate to Amy in some ways in that I also have an "academic" background...I spent 9.5 YEARS in college and emerged with a Ph.D. in engineering.  In reading Amy's book, I am reminded of my own journey of evaluating the true worth of a person and how it relates to academic achievement.

I am thankful that I realized a long time ago that academic achievement doesn't guarantee either happiness or godliness. Some of the world's smartest, most educated people are total jerks or worse.  Some people with very limited intellectual abilities are devoted followers of Christ and bring light into the lives of those they meet. 

As Christians, we must, we MUST, overcome our cultural "bent" which says that the intellectual elite are better than others.  I believe that those with intellectual gifts should use them for God's glory, definitely. But may we never suggest that a "smart" person is better than anyone else.

On another note, I found Amy's journey to be a comfort as I look forward to the birth of our son.  We chose not to get specific testing for chromosomal defects, though we have had 2 ultrasounds.  Neither showed any markers for any kind of chromosomal problem.  This kid looks great!  Still, I AM 42 and at higher risk than younger moms for Down Syndrome. 

I have thought more than once that it would be a huge shock to give birth and find out the baby has a serious medical problem like Down Syndrome (I say serious becuase DS children are more prone to a variety of ills.)  It is a comfort to read the story of a woman who experienced just that shock, and to know that God walked her through it and brought her to a place of peace and joy with her daughter.