I don’t know the name of a single person at my church. It’s nobody’s fault; I tend to come in, sit through service, rush off to get homework finished because Monday hits hard. No one really has time to pull me in. One little guy, however, decided that time didn’t much matter. As per my usual routine, I arrived during worship and made my walk of shame down a side aisle to find one of the few available seats. Nobody was paying attention to me, except one little face that turned around. He was probably about eight years old and had a precious Down syndrome smile. He stuck his hand out at an odd angle, apparently offering it to me. I put my hand in his and, after making certain his grandmother was watching, he proceeded to shake it warmly.
What makes this kid so able to reach out where others don’t? I’d like to offer forth that it’s two things that make him special. First, that he isn’t so focused on spiritual matters that he forgets people. Second, he isn’t so focused on himself as to be worried about what others think. If this little guy–with all the challenges he faces on a regular basis–can do the brave thing, what’s stopping me? I firmly believe that every individual has been put on earth with the potential to touch lives–that there are in fact lives that only that individual can touch. And here is this little boy, putting me to shame. God bless him. God certainly used him to bless me.
An Audacious Poet 