A couple of days ago, I came across a video on facebook and I had to share it with all my friends. I don't think it's a new video, but I hadn't ever seen it before. The video shows a news story about an autistic boy who had served for four years as a manager of his high school's basketball team. As a reward for all his unselfish hard work, the coach had him dress for the last game of the season. No one expected the coach to actually put the boy in the game, but with four minutes left, he motioned for the boy to report in. The fans and the teammates cheered wildly when the boy took the floor. He took a three-point shot: airball. He took another shot, and missed it too. Then he took his third shot, a perfect three-pointer that hit nothing but net. The fans and the team went crazy. But he didn't stop there. He shot and made five more three-pointers before the end of the game, the last coming just before the buzzer. The fans and team got wilder and more excited with each made basket, and when the buzzer sounded, they ran out on the court and hoisted this boy onto their shoulders. Here is the video.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150373441113934
I admit that the video made me tear up. But my tears were not only tears of joy for what the boy was able to do and what he was able to overcome. My tears were also for all the fans and the teammates. These were people who did not see this boy as disabled. They did not see him as inadequate. They delighted in his joy and were excited to see him succeed. There was no ill will in that gymnasium that night. There was no teasing, no ridicule, no bullying.
This video gives me hope for our future. Hope that we can all learn to live together. Hope that we can learn to accept and love people who are different from us, rather than condemn them. Hope that we can look beyond our differences and view everyone simply as different parts of the body of humanity. Romans 12:4-5 says: "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us."
I think the younger generations understand this better than many of the older ones do. I realize there are still issues with bullying and discrimination in our schools, but it appears to me that these issues are less prominent than when I was a kid. A far greater percentage of kids today seem to know and accept people that are different than them. Disabled children seem to be less ridiculed today. Different races appear to get along better. Obviously, we're not where we need to be on these and other issues yet, but they appear to me to be progressing.
Some will, no doubt, disagree with me that progress is being made in all of these areas. Others will argue that the change isn't progressing fast enough. That's fair. I'm only stating my opinion based on my experiences.
And in my opinion, there's hope for our future.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150373441113934
I admit that the video made me tear up. But my tears were not only tears of joy for what the boy was able to do and what he was able to overcome. My tears were also for all the fans and the teammates. These were people who did not see this boy as disabled. They did not see him as inadequate. They delighted in his joy and were excited to see him succeed. There was no ill will in that gymnasium that night. There was no teasing, no ridicule, no bullying.
This video gives me hope for our future. Hope that we can all learn to live together. Hope that we can learn to accept and love people who are different from us, rather than condemn them. Hope that we can look beyond our differences and view everyone simply as different parts of the body of humanity. Romans 12:4-5 says: "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us."
I think the younger generations understand this better than many of the older ones do. I realize there are still issues with bullying and discrimination in our schools, but it appears to me that these issues are less prominent than when I was a kid. A far greater percentage of kids today seem to know and accept people that are different than them. Disabled children seem to be less ridiculed today. Different races appear to get along better. Obviously, we're not where we need to be on these and other issues yet, but they appear to me to be progressing.
Some will, no doubt, disagree with me that progress is being made in all of these areas. Others will argue that the change isn't progressing fast enough. That's fair. I'm only stating my opinion based on my experiences.
And in my opinion, there's hope for our future.
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