Life throws us under the bus from time to time. Contrary to popular belief, no one is given a bus so heavy that it will break us.
Even if it feels like it at the time…or during the trials that may extend for years to come.
But it doesn’t mean we are broken.
There are times we all doubt our ability to rise above even the most heinous situations imaginable. Most people would never be able to rise above them if they had been given such a load.
But the mindset we have will make or break us – not the circumstance. Viktor Frankl in his “Man’s Search for Meaning” lays out his experiences and observations of the human mind during his imprisonment in one of the worst Nazi concentration camps. A well written summary of the book can be found here.
You are not broken. I am not broken. No one is broken.
But we can break ourselves by our perceptions of what life throws at us.
We weren’t created dented…
God did not create dented human beings. All of creation can attest to the fact that there really is no insignificant or useless being. It is only in man’s perception of nature pitted against his idea of perfection that he attempts to thwart the design he considers flawed, such as blocking out the light of the sun to get rid of much maligned carbon dioxide that is food for plants, or trying to “fix” those who don’t measure up to their standard of a perfect human being. Like Autistics.
The God Who created nature to run in perfect synchronicity is not a God Who makes mistakes when we were formed. While there are those who do not think the same way, or experience their environment in a different way, it doesn’t mean they need to be “fixed”.
They aren’t broken.
They are just different.
And they are God’s finest creations.
Every person is valuable…
We went to several churches over the years. In each of these were at least one family that had special needs children. Downs Syndrome, Autism, ADHD, crippled, etc. You could tell that there was a great deal more work to raise these children than those we consider “normal”.
But in every case, the best examples of love came from the way the parents and family members dealt with these little people. Those parents who understood that there little ones were their responsibility and who did everything in their power to provide them with love and understanding reflected on the faces of these children. The kids lit up and responded with love in return.
And as they grew older, as in one parish, there was a simplicity and acceptance that could not be explained. They knew who they were. They knew they were loved. And they knew they were important.
Each one of them is a valuable asset to both their families and those whose lives they touch beyond the family walls.
Something forgotten…
It is only humans who judge others as useless and unimportant.
But one thing these adjudicators forget is that they are not as perfect as they think, either.
You see, each of us is given a flaw – seen or unseen. Not because we deserve any type of punishment or imperfection, but because it keeps us humble. When we see flaws in each other, or dislike another person, usually it stems from something we hate about ourselves.
But if we see it from a different side, those very “imperfections” are what makes us perfect. For in accepting ourselves just as we are made, we can also learn to accept others who are different.
And maybe – just maybe – we can help lift their spirits by accepting them. Wrap them in the cloak of love.
Just as they are.