Will Ella Have Down Syndrome in Heaven?

I LOVE it when people ask hard questions. One of the questions someone asked me recently was

“Will Ella have Down Syndrome in Heaven?”

We are believers in Jesus Christ and believe that one day he will come again to take those that follow him to Heaven where we will spend eternity – there will be no sickness or disease, famine or hatred. We also believe that everything will be a new creation, implying that our bodies will be restored or we will receive new bodies.

(Should you choose to correct me on my theology please do it gently, I do not claim to be a bible scholar and it’s not the point of this post).

In light of this one might argue that there will be no Down Syndrome in Heaven.
I would argue otherwise. Yes. I do think that Ella will have Down Syndrome in Heaven. She may or may not have 47 chromosomes but she will be who she is and who she is, is in part because of the fact she has Down Syndrome. That being said, it DOES NOT DEFINE her.

We also believe that God knew exactly what he was doing when he knit her together in the womb. He knew that she would have a little something extra and that extra would bless people. It already has. On a regular basis I am told what a blessing Ella has been to someone who needed a little encouragement, a sincere hug or the energy of a child. There is nothing in the genetic makeup of the 21st chromosome that comprises a “happy gene” nor are DS children happy all the time (contrary to popular belief) BUT I do not think that Ella would not have the ministry she does without it.

So there is my highly unscientific, theologically flawed answer and I believe it, but at the end of the day I say, does it matter?

**Post-edit: Of course, I laid in bed after I wrote this and thought about it more. I have a feeling it will be one of those things that is ever-evolving. I wanted to qualify my statements by saying something implied but never stated: the disease and sickness that is a result of Down Syndrome will not be in Heaven, but some of the other physical traits which are a part of the 21st chromosome will be. The almond eyes and button nose. All those things that make Ella, Ella but not those things that ail her or cause her body stress. Again, completely unscientific and with no reason whatsoever…I’m cool with that.**