A couple of years ago I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a week or so working in an orphanage in southeast Asia. I could write volumes about the trip itself, but I’ll stick to a focused segment for now.
One of the children I worked with has cerebral palsy – a fairly profound case of it. She was unable to sit up, speak, or feed herself, and I don’t remember that she could even crawl.
Yet there was a lot of joy and determination in her eyes.
In her culture, she was viewed as having little to no value. She couldn’t communicate, she would be a burden on anyone caring for her … so what was the use in trying?
There’s a worldview that sees affliction in the present tense as karma from a previous life. There is also a worldview that says our value is based on what we can contribute to society, rather than innate value based on Who created us. I disagree with these views, but they dominate the culture in her native society.
I was blessed last night with a chance to see the family who hosted my earlier trip, and to see some pictures and video of this precious girl.
The first picture showed her shoveling food into her own mouth. I almost didn’t recognize her because of the mess on her face – but it was her hand.
In another picture, she was pushing a series of pictures together. She cannot talk, probably never will; but she knows what she wants to say, and can arrange pictures to communicate.
Then came the video.
She’s walking.
She’s taking big, fast, fairly steady steps.
And she smiles that huge, toothy grin that I remember so well.
Dang, here I go crying on my keyboard.
It is so easy for me to get caught up in my everyday world that I miss miracles:
- She was mute, but now she has a voice
- She was lame, but now she walks
- She was considered little more than a parasite; now she’s an inspiration
Dear Lord, please keep my eyes open. I was blind, but now I see.
