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Stan GuthrieStan Guthrie

Foolish Things

Stumbling After Jesus

The Christian life was never meant to be a cakewalk.

Recently, my eight-year-old son left Sunday school frowning. It seems a couple of his classmates had been making fun of me. (I have moderate cerebral palsy, a birth condition that causes my erratic gait.) That afternoon, I sat down with him over clear plastic cups, each filled with two scoops of Reese's ice cream, and asked if he was embarrassed. No, he was angry. I took a deep breath. At me? At God? No, at them.

"What did you say to them?" I asked. "'If you do it again,'" he repeated, "'I'll tell your dads!'"

The innate cruelty of children needs no documentation. And their loud questions, stares, and snickering are almost to be expected when they see me wobble across a room. Little materialists, they cannot grasp how God might be working in and through me. My son, however, probably taught his two fellow Sunday schoolers something of the fierce but unseen love of a boy for his father.

Would I be happier without this physical disability? That's like asking a kid if he would like to ride a bike, play Little League baseball, or be on the swim team—all activities that I was denied while growing up in an otherwise active family. The answer is obvious. But there's a deeper question that our happiness-pursuing society too often overlooks: Would I be better off?

It used to be that children with handicaps were hidden away or left to die; in some parts of the world, they still are. Perfection was the ideal. Then, as we became more enlightened, we accepted them, as Joni Eareckson Tada says, as normal parts of an abnormal, fallen world. With this awareness came wheelchair ramps, reserved, extra-wide parking spaces, and federal laws designed to "level the playing field." However, having a disabled child still entailed sacrifice, most ...

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Foolish Things

Stan Guthrie

Stan Guthrie

Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today and author of Missions in the Third Millennium and All That Jesus Asks. His column, "Foolish Things," ran from 2006 to 2007.


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Comments

Displaying 1–3 of 8 comments

Shelly Weiss

July 23, 2007  3:42pm

Excellent perspective! Who would we be without our afflictions? Each day, I am reminded how much I rely on Him. Your son is developing an intimate perspective of his Heavenly Father through the actions of his earthly father. Thank you for glorifyingGod through your so-called 'weaknesses'.

Karen

July 16, 2007  7:06pm

Thank you for your sharing. I have MS and use a scooter for walking. I have a five year old. I thank God daily for the example we can be in the world. My son has not yet been ridiculed but, he is starting kindergarten in the fall. I thank you for the example of your son.

Chris

July 15, 2007  7:59am

A remember hearing a preacher once say during a sermon, "You know, the pursuit of happiness is not bibilcal." Initially, I stumbed over that, but upon reflection I think it's true. Guthrie has his the proverbial nail on the head with this article. I would only add that it is sometimes helpful to remember that joy and happiness are two separate things. Happiness is an emotional response based on circumstance. Joy comes from Christ, and it can sustain through even the worst times of our lives.

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