Several years ago when Bryson was a part of the Baugo Challenger Baseball team out of Elkhart, they had the privilege to attend the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA to participate in a game against another Challenger team from Louisiana. The Friday night before the game, both teams were invited to a welcome party hosted by local businesses in Williamsport. Our team had arrived before the team from Louisiana and we had gotten our food and set down under the big white tent to eat. I was sitting beside Bryson and soon the other team arrived and the players were approaching the tent. I saw Bryson watching them as they came closer. He watched and then turned to me and said “mom the other team is handicapped!” Wow, how do you answer that one? I quickly responded with “yes they are.” But my mind started spinning. Doesn’t Bryson realize that he is handicapped too? Doesn’t he realize that the team he plays for is different than “normal” little league teams? I had to sit and process this exchange later in the weekend and I realized that in a lot of ways this response was ok. Bryson’s view of himself was not about his handicaps but his view was outward and all of the opportunities he had been given.
Bryson has always lived life in view of what he CAN do and has not become discouraged by what he CAN’T do. I need to view life like that too.
As a mother of a special needs kid, I see special needs kids everywhere, I see their mothers everywhere, because that is my view.
I am a mother of boys. So I see boys and their mothers everywhere as they interact, discipline and love on, because that is my view.
When I hear that someone has lost their father, I mourn with them, because I have lost mine, because that is my view.
When I see or hear another woman struggling with low self esteem, fear, weight issues, pride. I can relate because I have seen from that view.
But how exactly am I looking through that view? Am I seeing the negative side and the hardships that they are going through? Yes, I need to see this side, but really I need to see it as an opportunity to offer help, encouragement and hope.
I need to take the handicaps of my life and use them to be the catalyst to help others deal, cope and overcome their handicaps. I need to VIEW life through God’s lenses and how HE can use all things for GOOD. God desires for us to be vessels of His love to others around us. WE need to be givers of life and hope. When we sit too long and wallow in our handicaps we can become lost in them and no longer be able to see others that are handicapped too. We need to be a community who views each other as we are, broken and sinful, but not willing to stay there. We recognize it, join up as a team and play together in the spirit of love because that is truly is the view that God desires for His children.
