Crippled Faith

I was at the coffee shop one day just sitting there. I like to sit in the front of the store because I can stare out the window and into the street where people are carrying on with the day's activities. Sometimes I feel like I'm at the zoo because I watch them so carefully, paying close attention to their every move, almost like I'm going to write about them later or something…

But while I was sitting there I noticed an individual scootin' by in their wheelchair. It was one of those fancy motorized ones, you know, with the joystick that enables their mangled hand to weave them in and out of traffic. If I were them, I would probably use it to hit people or opossums. I would blame my rudeness on my handicap, which is why I probably don't have one. It's God's way of punishing me and telling me I can't have fun while wheeling around town or the mall (that would be a fun place!).

Fortunately, this particular individual wasn't me. He was a very generous man, gracefully moving around on four wheels like they were his own two feet. He was courteous and very kind to those that were getting in his way, although he didn't view it like that. There was one thing that stood out, however: he had the worlds most simple and complex book resting on his lap. It was the Bible. I could only sit there and marvel.

Maybe I'm jumping to an insurmountable conclusion concerning this, but I admire the faith of the handicapped. I don't understand how so many of them do it. They're completely crippled, fettered to a wheelchair for their entire lives, yet they hold so diligent and fast to their faith - to God. They love and proclaim the goodness of God from the confides of a chair on wheels and the whole time they tote around a Bible that sports story after story of God healing people, including the paralyzed, lame, and crippled.

I don't know about you, but I would have a serious problem with this… yet it doesn't bother them that Jesus hasn't healed their handicap.

Or has he?

See, I think the ‘handicapped' understand something about faith and God that I'll never understand. They have a grasp on the reality of life and what it really is. Cause while I'm busy running back and forth from meaningless activity to redundant inactivity, they're sitting on their motorized seat, powered by Jesus, and look at me like I'm crazy.

Why do I look at them like they're crazy? Is it because I'm insensitive to their ailment? Is it because I stare at people like they belong in a zoo?

No.

I marvel at their display of faith. And what's more, I don't think it's a display. I think it is their faith which captivates my attention, my gaze, and my heart - my heart to be more like them.

So next time you see a handicapped person, don't stick your foot in the way to trip them or see if it hurts when they run over it - just smile at them and attempt to muster out a ‘hello' to someone with great faith.

**I might make it clear that I really like handicapped people. I'm not mean to them, really. I have handicapped friends. I don't stare at them… all the time… but I do admire the faith of many of them. It inspires me and I hope that in some way it can inspire you as well. And please don't trip them, that's just plain stupid A lot of them know karate…