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WHO IS HANDICAPPED?
Across the world there is a wonderful organization called
the Special Olympics. This foundation sponsors “Olympics”
for people who are physically and/or mentally handicapped.
These are people who may be suffering from anything
ranging from partial paralysis to brain damage to what is
just referred to as “retardation.” Participating in these
events not only trains the athletes to perform up to their
highest potential, but it also infuses them with a sense of
success, of competence, of achievement.
Recently, I heard a beautiful story about a race taking
place in the Special Olympics. The athletes were lined up
at the mark. The official yelled, “Ready, set, go!” and the
athletes took off, all running as fast as their legs would
carry them, with looks of determination, dedication and
drive on their faces. All except one, that is. A young boy
had tripped, immediately after starting, and had fallen into
the dirt. He looked forlorn as he watched his peers race
off without him.
Then, suddenly, a young girl who was running turned her
head to see what had happened to the boy. As soon as she
realized he fell, she turned around and ran back toward
him. One by one, each of the athletes turned around to go
back and look after the fallen boy. Soon all the runners
were gathered around the young boy; they helped him to
his feet as one girl brushed the dirt off his pants. Then, all
the athletes held hands as they walked together, slowly,
toward the finish line.
These are the people we refer to as “handicapped” or “retarded”
or, euphemistically, “mentally and physically challenged.”
Yet, would we who have full use of all our limbs,
whose brains function at their highest capacity, ever turn
around in the middle of a race, giving up our long soughtafter
hope of winning and go back to look after someone
who was down? Would we ever sacrifice getting to the top,
being the best, winning it all, just to lend encouragement
to another? Rarely.
We spend our lives pushing to be higher and higher, better
and better. We want to be the best, to be the top, to be
number one. But at what stake? What do we give up in the
process? They say, “The mark of a true man is not how tall
he stands, but how frequently he bends down to help those
in need.” How frequently are we willing to bend?
The goal of life is not the accumulation of more and more
possessions, or more and more degrees. The point of life is
to move toward God, to realize our oneness with Him. The
point of life is to fill every moment with compassion, with
love, with prayer and with service.
Yes, of course, we must go to work and we must do our
best in every possible arena. Of course we must attempt
to succeed; we must live up to our fullest potential. But,
too frequently, we become narrow minded in what we see
as our “potential.” Is our potential merely financial, or academic
or professional? Might we have another potential,
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