God's love and perfection
Found this story in a pamphlet written by Dick Innes and I guess it resonates with me through experiences as work and SCOPE.
'The following story written by Rabbi Paysach Krohnm, is reported to be true......
At a fund-raising dinner of a Jewish-sponsored school that caters to learning-diabled children, the father of one student delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.
After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, 'Where is the perfection in my son? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?' the audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query.
'I believe,' the father answered, 'that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to the child.'
He then told the following story about his son: 'One agternoon my son and I were walking past a park where some boys Shane knew were playing baseball. "Do you think they will let me play?" my son asked. I knew that he was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But, if he was chosen to play, it would give him a comfortale sense of belonging.
'I approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shane could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his team- mates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." I was ecstatic as Shane smiled broadly.
'Shane was told to put on a glove and go out to play centre field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, his team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, SHane's team scored again and now with two outs and bases loaded, with the potential of a winning run on base, Shane was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let him bat at this point and give away their chance to win the game?
'Surprisingly, Shane was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but inpossible because he didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However, as Shane stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps forward to lob the ball softely so Shane should at least be able to make contact.
The first pitch came in and Shane swung clumsily and missed. One of his team-mates came up to Shane and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shane. As the pitch came in, Shane and his team-mate swung the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily have thrown it to the first baseman. Shane would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had he run to first. Shane scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown it to the second baseman who would tag Shane out. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third basman's head.
'Everyone yelled "Run to second! Run to second!" Shane ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shane reached second base, the opposing short-stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third!"
As Shane rounded thrid, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Run home, Shane, run home!" Shane ran home, stepped on home plate and all eighteen boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team.
'That day,' said the father with tears now rolling down his face, 'those eighteen boys reached their level of God's perfection.'
-Something so small can mean so much- in choir at high school and near the end of each year we'd go to a nursing home and side old songs with the people living there. Think I was in year 8 and there was a French man that lived there who couldn't speak english, but he really got into the music and us singing etc. When we were leaving I asked a friend who did French at school what goodbye in French was and so I went up to him and said whatever goodbye is in french. At that he had tears in his eyes and kissed me on the cheek, I was in shock, something so meaningless and small to me meant so much to him.
This sunday I finally decided to come to morning church while really not feeling like I could be bothered. So turned up slightly late but when I walked in had little Rebecca running up to me wanting me to pick her up and cuddle her- instantly I felt welcome and at that moment something so small meant so much to me- We search so hard for wisdom and answers in church in all the big issues and problems but I think we (or me at least) find so much of God's love and perfection in the small things that are so often forgotten.
'The following story written by Rabbi Paysach Krohnm, is reported to be true......
At a fund-raising dinner of a Jewish-sponsored school that caters to learning-diabled children, the father of one student delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.
After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, 'Where is the perfection in my son? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?' the audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query.
'I believe,' the father answered, 'that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to the child.'
He then told the following story about his son: 'One agternoon my son and I were walking past a park where some boys Shane knew were playing baseball. "Do you think they will let me play?" my son asked. I knew that he was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But, if he was chosen to play, it would give him a comfortale sense of belonging.
'I approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shane could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his team- mates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." I was ecstatic as Shane smiled broadly.
'Shane was told to put on a glove and go out to play centre field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, his team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, SHane's team scored again and now with two outs and bases loaded, with the potential of a winning run on base, Shane was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let him bat at this point and give away their chance to win the game?
'Surprisingly, Shane was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but inpossible because he didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However, as Shane stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps forward to lob the ball softely so Shane should at least be able to make contact.
The first pitch came in and Shane swung clumsily and missed. One of his team-mates came up to Shane and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shane. As the pitch came in, Shane and his team-mate swung the bat and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily have thrown it to the first baseman. Shane would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had he run to first. Shane scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown it to the second baseman who would tag Shane out. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third basman's head.
'Everyone yelled "Run to second! Run to second!" Shane ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shane reached second base, the opposing short-stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third!"
As Shane rounded thrid, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Run home, Shane, run home!" Shane ran home, stepped on home plate and all eighteen boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team.
'That day,' said the father with tears now rolling down his face, 'those eighteen boys reached their level of God's perfection.'
-Something so small can mean so much- in choir at high school and near the end of each year we'd go to a nursing home and side old songs with the people living there. Think I was in year 8 and there was a French man that lived there who couldn't speak english, but he really got into the music and us singing etc. When we were leaving I asked a friend who did French at school what goodbye in French was and so I went up to him and said whatever goodbye is in french. At that he had tears in his eyes and kissed me on the cheek, I was in shock, something so meaningless and small to me meant so much to him.
This sunday I finally decided to come to morning church while really not feeling like I could be bothered. So turned up slightly late but when I walked in had little Rebecca running up to me wanting me to pick her up and cuddle her- instantly I felt welcome and at that moment something so small meant so much to me- We search so hard for wisdom and answers in church in all the big issues and problems but I think we (or me at least) find so much of God's love and perfection in the small things that are so often forgotten.
posted by Mim @ 12:47 PM
1 Comments:
At 2:04 PM,
Anonymous said…
brilliant stuff mim
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