Gospel in purest form

The last ones

If any of you are a fan of the show “Extreme Home Makeover” on ABC, you may have caught this week’s episode featuring a family from Minot, ND. The family was chosen based on the needs of their 14 year old son, who has a very limiting form of Cerebral Palsy. His mother was responsible for all of his daily needs, including bathing, monitoring him for seizures as he slept, and lifting him in and out of his wheelchair. The design team’s focus was to make the house more accessible for the young man and create ways that made caring for him easier for the mother and the rest of the family.

One of the special projects was for the design team to make some improvements and enhancements to a baseball field, where a baseball team of youth with special needs played; this team was started by the mother. She wanted a place where her son and others could play baseball together. This was the part that caught my attention. Towards the end of the show, the design team was seen playing a game of baseball with the team. One of the team's members had tears in his eyes, kneeling on the ground and was receiving a hug from a little girl with Down Syndrome. He commented on that baseball game being one of the best he ever played in his life. As I reflected upon those words I was reminded of an event that I attended at a local church.

Last week during one of my shifts at a group home, I had the privilege to attend a ministry event with one of the residents. I was not sure what she was going to be doing and, in fact, neither was she. Once we got there, I realized that this was a ministry event geared for individuals with disabilities and special needs. There were about 25 participants and they were grouped up with volunteer leaders. Their time together began with a craft of creating a card for a member of the group who had recently passed away. They then broke out into small groups, shared a little about themselves with each other and discussed the gospel story in Mark 10:13-16 (The little children and Jesus). There was one individual who was not verbal, yet, she made it very clear that she wanted to light the candle for this week. It is amazing the way the light of Christ can transcend communication boundaries.

What amazed me was that these individuals, considered less than perfect by society were able to understand the Gospel in it’s purest form. Many were able to understand that Jesus loves them, and wants to bless them, just the way he blessed the little children. After the small group study we gathered for some singing. I would bet that only about 10% of that room was able to read the lyrics to the songs. Yet, that did not stop 100% of the room from making a joyful noise. Those who were unable to sing, or did not wish to sing were given instruments to play. As I was singing along, I can honestly say that never before have I felt the spirit as strong as I did that day, as I was surrounded by the voices of God’s children.

One last thing that caught my attention was as they were talking about their friend who passed away, they were not focusing on how sad they felt, but rather how happy they were that their friend was in heaven. You see, even with their limited intellect they understood that heaven was a place where there was no pain, and no seizures and no medication. They expressed joy for their friend rather than sorry for themselves.

I am convinced that God has plan for all of us. For these individuals, and for all of those who may be disabled in some fashion, I believe that their plan is to bring joy to those around them. Here is one of my favorite songs. As I attended the ministry event with the resident, and watched extreme makeover, this song , by Matthew West, kept coming to mind. I pray that you have the opportunity to be blessed by one of these last ones in your coming days.


The Last Ones
Lyrics by Matthew West
Music by Matthew West and Jason Houser

My friend Taylor she's an angel Ten years old and beautiful She's a living, breathing miracle And she proves it everyday 'Cause the odds were stacked against her from the day that she arrived here And the doctors told her mom and dad she'd always be that way And I confess when I first met her I was thinking life's not fair But then she wrapped her arms around my neck And it all became so clear

God bless the last ones

One day Taylor sent me a picture from her Special Olympics race And I could tell just by the looks of it she was coming in last place But she crossed that finish line with a smile upon her face as if to say

God bless the last ones

Maybe the last ones are the lucky ones The ones who got this whole thing figured out 'Cause when they go looking for something beautiful They start looking from the inside out

On our way into the restaurant we passed a homeless man He was half drunk and half asleep with a paper cup in his hand And I confess when I first saw him I was thinking life's not fair But then Taylor reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck And it all became so clear

God bless the last ones

I wish we could all be the lucky ones The ones who've got this whole thing figured out Maybe the next time we go looking for beautiful we'll try looking from the inside out

God bless the last ones
(c) 2005 Word Music, LLC/Westies Music Publishing, admin. by Word Music, LLC; Songs Of Extreme/Cedar Sides, admin. by Cedar Music Publishing (ASCAP). All rights reserved. Used by permission. International copyright secured.