| the weak and foolish things of the world |
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| Written by steve sherwood | |||
| Friday, 13 July 2007 07:04 | |||
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A week at a young life camp can feel like a trip to the world of the bold and the beautiful. the waterfront is filled all afternoon with hundreds of lithe, often attractive, often well off, often very aware of it young people. while much of what goes
on at a young life camp is a conscious step away from the values and pressures of life back home, there's no escaping the sheer dynamic of who these kids are. most are young people who have experienced a world without limits and face a future of seemingly limitless possibility. This past June, at Timberwolf Lake in Michigan, 20 young people from Chicago brought a very different reality to camp. They were a group of high school folks from a school for physically, emotionally or mentally challenged kids. Their 'otherness' was obvious. They have NOT experienced lives of boundless possibilities and their futures, similarly, are NOT wide open vistas of potential. And yet, they brought, experienced and gave things that most other kids know nothing of. They gave love freely and without reserve. There was no posturing, game playing, or contingency to their affection. Likewise, not having any means to impress, they didn't try to. They just asked, in action and often in word, "Do you like me? Will you love me?" They laughed and cried with an honesty that was not clouded with cynicism or an eye around the room to see if it would be ok. Strangely, as the week progressed, these 20 marginalized, weak, vulnverable kids began to effect the entire group. Kids who might back home expose and mock any weakness found in another, made room for these 20 with a smile, a hello or a conversation. When, late in the week, kids had an opportunity to perform for their peers, by far the most heartfelt and loudest applause was for a young man with Down Syndrome and his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. When asked who the Kingdom was for, Jesus called a child to his lap and said, "such as these." When asked for signs of the Kingdom's arrival, Jesus said, "The blind are receiving their sight..." When desiring to display the power and glory of the Infinite God, Jesus climbed up on a cross and died. What does all of this say about us and what we value? TAGS: possibilities , conversation , marginalized , contingency , emotionally , experienced , opportunity , possibility , vulnverable , challenged ,
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| Last Updated on Friday, 13 July 2007 07:25 |
