This is a story that is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in the war. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've got a favor to ask of you. 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 about him", the son took a breathe and continued, "He was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mined 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," they say to him. "No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us," the son replies. "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 without saying another word to them. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, 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.Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are. Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!!
I had written this story and sent it to a news station when they had a series about racismn. They had shared the story and it made a lot of people stop and think. I don't think that there will really be a huge difference with this storuy, but even if I can help change one person's way on how they see someone that would make a world of difference. I love everybody for who they are, I don't look at the outside, I look deep down inside and see the beauty within each of them.
I know what it is like to be teased for begin different for I had experienced it myself first hand and it sure wasn't much fun. It broke my heart that I was treated that way and I still have scares from it, but I learn to deal with it on my own and it is the best way to deal with things at times.
How will you judge someone? Will you love them like Jesus would? I know that I would, because it might be Jesus hiding in disguise and reaching out to you through someone else. It reminds me of the song, 'What If Jesus Come's Back Like That' by Collin Raye. I will add that to the blog and leave this for you all to think about.
Jesus loved the "rejects" of society greatly. They were the first ones to fall in love with Him, after all. No one would touch the lepers, but Jesus did!
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