Special Lessons From Special Children

A smile is usually on Stephen’s face. In her own unique way, Mary displays a vibrant enthusiasm. These are special children. They will never experience many of the joys of life that are available to most people. For example, they will never enjoy the satisfaction that comes from a meaningful career, nor will they ever help raise a family. But from these special children there are some special lessons that can benefit our lives. Please ponder these three lessons:

· Life should be lived with constant happiness. Stephen demonstrates an excitement about life. Though he is probably twelve or thirteen years old, he approaches coloring a picture or writing the letters of the alphabet with enthusiasm. On a recent afternoon, Mary enjoyed a few moments of excitement singing “The Alphabet Song.” The reality is that too often we count our burdens instead of our blessings. The apostle Paul commands, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). I hope that I will regularly think of these special children and Philippians 4:4 when life seems overwhelming.

· We need to be concerned about other people. Mary will often ask questions to adults. The temptation can be to be annoyed when there seems to be no end to these questions. I have chosen to believe that Mary would never want to be viewed as an aggravation. From her innocent heart, she is trying her best to show an interest in others. The apostle Paul reminds us, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others” (Philippians 2:4).

· Let’s approach the reality of heaven with a sense of excitement. Stephen and Mary easily become excited when the next activity is announced to them. While they become discouraged at times, I have noticed their discouragement is usually short-lived. Let’s be reminded that the reality of heaven should always bring excitement and glorious anticipation to our hearts. The burdens of life will be easier to bear as we remember this assurance of Jesus, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

While we struggle to explain why there are children with handicaps like Stephen and Mary, more often we need to pause and reflect on the lessons they teach us.

* The characters of Stephen and Mary are a composite of a couple of students I recently worked with in a classroom at an area school.