RUSHING TO THE RESCUE

[dreamangel]

 

We should always keep in mind that we have all sinned, and come short of
the glory of God.  The Lord who is ever merciful forgives and commands us
to have the same mercy and forgive those who have fallen short around us.
The Lord Jesus declares Luke 6:37, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged:
condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be 
forgiven." We have been forgiven for our sins and in the same manner we
are to have mercy upon others and forgive what they have done against us.
We are to shine our light brightly as a beacon of hope letting all know 
Whom we belong to so that they may be encouraged to run to the Lord Jesus
Christ who will save and redeem their souls for all eternity. (Romans 3:23)

I hope this message ministers to your heart to never have a judgmental 
attitude towards others, but rather be an example of love, encouragement
and hope showing the Lord Jesus through their life.


RUSHING TO THE RESCUE

There's a boy in my son's eight grade class everyone thinks is a bad kid.
I've heard he talks loudly, disrupts the class with bursts of negative 
comments, and doesn't participate in groups. He also stands out as the 
tallest, with the most mature body.

Other parents tell his mother they're scared of him. Yet he's never been 
physically aggressive. In fact, he's hypersensitive to touch.

I'll call him Joe. Most parents and kids don't know Joe has Asperger's 
Syndrome. People with Asperger's must learn about socially appropriate 
behaviors, somehow their brains don't have it wired in like most of us. 
It's very hard for Joe to regulate his social behavior. He's worked hard
since second grade. He has friends who support him with cues and comments,
and has come a long way.

Joe's in the highest-level math and reading classes. He wants to be on a 
school activity committee, but parent volunteers refuse him. They don't 
know he realizes he's an outcast, and works hard to fit into the school's
social networks.

I wish those parents had seen Joe walking home from school one cold winter
day in January 2007. Driving by, I saw him run and kneel down by a little
girl lying on the ground.

Joe brushed hair from her eyes and smiled. She smiled back through tears,
having slipped and fallen on the ice. Joe took off his coat and spread it
out, then helped her move to sit on it.

He gathered her belongings from four feet away, putting them by her on his
coat. He wiped snow from her knees and hands, turning her hands front and
back to check for injury. He helped put her hat back on.

Then he helped her up, took her hand and walked her home. He carried her 
pack, and then rang her doorbell. Her sister rushed her inside, but the 
little girl smiled back at Joe. He set her pack down by the door, and 
walked home smiling.

I stopped by Joe's house later. I asked to talk to him and his mother 
looked worried. When I said, I want to compliment him, she looked so relieved.

I told Joe that I'd seen him help a little girl today, and that I didn't 
get out of my car because he had everything under control. I told him he 
handled the emergency perfectly and I thought he was a hero. I saw Joe's 
beautiful smile again.

His mom cried as she showed me to the door. We stepped outside and she 
sobbed because it was so rare for Joe to show compassion and to be 
acknowledged in a positive way. I cried because Joe's mother worries so
much about his future and the challenges he faces from society.

We cried together for all the "adults" in Joe's life who assume he's a bad
kid. Please, take today to look at a "bad kid" little differently, and 
somehow acknowledge the good in them. It means so much.

By Linda Witham