How do you feel?
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A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after
having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.
"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've got a favor to ask.
I have a friend I'd like to bring with me." "Sure," they replied,
"we'd love to meet him." "There's something you should know the son
continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped
on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to
go, and I want him to come live with us." "I'm sorry to hear that,
son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live." "No, Mom and
Dad, I want him to live with us." "Son," said the father, "you
don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would
be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we
can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you
should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way
to live on his own." At that point, the son hung up the phone. The
parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later they received
a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after
falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was
suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They
recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something
they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg. The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. For many years before I lost my feet, I saw handicapped access signs and thought "they" were taken care of... It was only when I needed to use a wheelchair that I realized that lots of those signs lied... Yes, there is a ramp... but many of them are so steep that not even an able bodied person can negotiate them... I quickly figured out that so many business people have so little feeling for their handicapped patrons, that handicapped access laws are really very necessary. Why do I mention this? Because I'd like you to imagine the path to your heart and to your genuine acceptance of handicapped people is very much like a ramp... Is your ramp too steep? Consider this... While I sincerely hope you never suffer discomfort or hardship, You never know what the future will bring... Make sure you have no future regrets for your present attitudes and behavior. I'm lucky... I lost my feet, but the rest of me works better than you'd believe... I'm still me. I'm a sharp guy with a good sense of humor, as well as lots of other "socially redeeming" qualities. Did I mention that I am "house broken" also? I have long-standing friendships because I make myself valuable to others. And, it happens that presently I am single... I have few real problems, but I thought you'd get some insights if I shared them here... Help! There's an 25 year old guy trapped in this 55 year old body! Worse, I may be the best thing that ever happened to her; but many ladies can't see past the chair to the person I am. Then there are those who think that if I'm in a chair that I've also lost my mind. Some must think I'm hard of hearing because thay speak louder when they talk to me. And I feel a special love for those who want to help so much that they rush to hold a door open for me, with no realization that I can't get through the door because they are standing in the middle of the doorway... We're all just people... Some are bigger, some smaller, some more or less "beautiful" than others... some have all their body parts, some don't; but we're still just people... Let's touch each other with love and help each other to find as much happiness as our Creator allows, shall we? |
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