Rose Marie Bentley was one in 50 million and she never knew it. And that was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to her. You see, Mrs. Bentley was born with situs invertus. That’s a real condition that affects 1 in 22,000 births. It is where the internal organs are flipped backwards from their normal locations. Everyone of her organs was flipped except her heart.
She had an hysterectomy and no one mentioned it. They tried to remove her appendix, but couldn’t find it. Later, she had gallbladder surgery that resulted in a rather long scar because it was on the wrong side of her body. Yet, no one told her she had a life ending condition. Doctors report that only 1 in 50 million live to adulthood with situs invertus, most die in childhood due to cardiac ailments. But no one told Mrs. Bentley. You see, Mrs. Rose Marie Bentley lived with situs invertus to the wonderful age of 99. Her only reoccurring health complaint? Arthritis. She died of natural causes and no one would have known except she donated her body to a university science lab.
Mrs. Bentley was an avid swimmer, worked faithfully in her church, helped her husband run their feed store, and raised 5 kids. She never knew she risked a heart attack or death doing so. She just enjoyed life.
If Mrs. Bentley was born today
I couldn’t help but imagine how life would have been different if she had that diagnosis hanging over her happy head all of her days. Let’s just imagine if she had been born in today’s hospitals. They would have known before little Rose Marie was born that she had deformities. The doctor may have even advised abortion to end the suffering before her short life even began. Her parents would have been devastated from the beginning.
After birth, she would have been guarded from too much strain on her weakened heart. “No running, Rose Marie!” “Rose Marie, you are getting too excited. Settle down.” “You can’t do that, Rose Marie!” “The swim team? No way.” Life would have been affected by the diagnosis, even if not the disease.
Parents must be parents and watching over her would be required. Coaches and teachers would have to be cautious. Even classmates and friends would be told about the serious condition that Rose Marie suffered. Maybe Rose Marie would even be hesitant to find a husband and certainly not bring children into the world knowing she was living on unpromised time. Every birthday would seem bittersweet. “Hooray! She made another one!” But thinking, ‘I wonder if this will be her last…’
What a blessing it was for Rose Marie to never know the ticking time bomb that was her body. And that got me thinking…
Have I been diagnosed?
What has slowed down or stopped the plan for my life? What “diagnosis” has been said to me that caused me to put the brakes on or walk away from a plan? Is there something I should have done but a “diagnosis” convinced me otherwise? I took a little inventory.
When I was about 11 or 12, I was in the children’s choir at my church. I faithfully went to practice and enjoyed it. Most of the kids were from church families and had no choice as to their involvement, but I actually lived next door to the church and went by myself. It was great fun. Until one day.
My best friend and I got to practice early. When our director walked in, she asked my best friend if she would make it to the choir competition that we were practicing so hard to win. I will never forget her words. “I really want YOU to come. We really need YOUR voice.” Emphasis mine. There I stood, wondering if I was as invisible as I felt. If I could be seen, I knew my face was glowing red with embarrassment. Now I know this sounds awfully sensitive, but I was 11 or 12. I couldn’t process the situation any other way. She was telling me, in no uncertain terms, that my voice was not needed. In adult retrospect, she was just encouraging her strongest singer to show up. End of story. But in Suellyn’s mind, I cannot sing.
I’ve never joined a choir since. Sing alongs? Not so much. I sing in church but try to keep it below the guy in front of me. Karaoke? Hahaha! No. You see, the “diagnosis” changed my life.
On the flip side, no pun intended toward Mrs. Bentley, when I was in the third grade I won a writing contest. My letter was chosen to be sent to the Texas Parks and Wildlife program for free Texas posters. I realized two things that day. First, I could write better than 25 other 3rd graders. Second, writing could get you free stuff. Win. Win.
So for the rest of my life, when something needed to be written, guess who would give it a try? Poetry? Sure, why not. Need a story? Let me give it a whirl. To this day, writing is one of my greatest passions. You see, the “diagnosis” affected my life.
Rising Above the Diagnosis
So what about you? Is there a diagnosis in your life that hinders? Maybe you do have a physical condition that keeps you from participating. The words have been spoken. Or you gave something a try, but the feedback wasn’t what you wanted. The words, or lack of, made you want to put your hobby away and watch the world through the window. I have some advice. God has a word for you.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4,5
This is how we live above the “diagnosis”. In this verse let’s think of the diagnosis as strongholds, arguments, and pretensions. They all come to crush the plans of God.
Strongholds would be just what it sounds like. Something that has a strong hold on you or your life. Sickness, failures, insecurities, addictions, sin, etc.
Arguments would be some of the human reasoning that we use to not take the path God has laid before us. It’s the excuses we use to avoid the hard stuff. It might look like, “I’m not the leader type.” Or, “Nobody in my family ever went to college. We’re not the college kind.” Maybe, “Somebody else can do it better than me.”
Finally, pretensions can be defined as lofty opinions or high imaginations that rise above the knowledge of God. These are the opinions that say, “I know God is asking me to teach that class or witness to my neighbor, but He doesn’t understand the situation.” These are the high imaginations that say my thoughts are higher than His thoughts.
So what do we do? “Take captive EVERY THOUGHT to make it obedient to Christ.” That’s it. Instead, I tend to take those thoughts and make them obedient to me. This is a mistake because I know the “diagnosis”. I’ve heard the comments, saw the red marks on math tests, remember the school yard rejections, and being picked last for teams. My reasoning and arguments will keep me from accomplishing what God has planned for me. As a matter of fact, the diagnosis will keep me from even trying.
But, if when those ideas came, I forgot the “diagnosis” and made sure my thoughts were obedient to the truth of God, I could live as Rose Marie, longer and fuller than should have been. I’m not saying that ignorance or forgetfulness makes all the limitations go away. I’m saying to take the thoughts and compare them to what God is saying to you.
Let’s say you’ve come from generations of broken marriages; but obedience to God means working and walking through a wonderful 60 year marriage. Maybe God has called you into business. The economy is weak. You have no experience. It’s risky. But God has called you. Take your “lofty opinions” and human argument and make it obedient to God. Live above the “diagnosis”. Everyone has witnessed the amazing violinist that has only one arm or the blind pianist. All of the reasonings and lofty opinions that said they would be happier trying something easier were taken captive and made obedient to the knowledge of what God was placing in their heart and they rose above the diagnosis.
Unfortunately, most of us have heard the diagnosis. We don’t get to live blissfully as Rose Marie did, never knowing our limitations. We’ve been told that we are not likely to do well. We are not cut out for such an awesome path. Don’t push yourself. Well, take those thoughts captive. Make it obedient to what God has said. What does God say? What is God asking you to do? Are the chances 1 in 50 million that you will succeed? Then go for it! Live like Rose Marie Bentley.
