You ARE Special

     Many years ago, my heart broke as I stood amidst precious, elementary age children.   Statistics labeled them below the poverty level.   Within seconds of being welcomed to their school, my calculation placed them second to none and at the highest height on the loving, caring and sharing chart.

     Nearly a half century later, one lad in particular still wrenches my soul.   He was the maestro of babbling personality, prankish mischief and charming curiosity all rolled into one little boy. 

      Before saying good bye to my new little friend, I bent down to help tie his tattered shoelace.   Sitting on the ground and eye to eye level, I looked straight at his sparkling pupils and told him that he was the most special little boy I had ever met.   Immediately, a shocked expression covered his entire face – and body.   He answered me with a question.   “You think I’m special?”   I assured him I not only thought he was special, I knew he was special.   He muddled back, “Nobody thinks I’m special   Nobody wants me.”   With my heart feeling as broken as his, I hugged him tightly, whispered again how special he was and vowed never to forget him.   I haven’t.

     Today still finds me wondering what life brought, or took away from, that little boy now grown into a man.   Today, also, finds me aching for so many of my fellow children of God – both young and old in years.   The little boy I’ve shared does not stand alone.  Throngs of multitudes stand with him.   Tragically, our world overflows with hearts that have been pounded into believing they are not special.

     Feelings of unworthiness, low (or no) self-esteem and complete inadequacy, frequently, drown the person who feels labeled by their trials and tribulations.   Quite often, this negativism is seeded by accusations from an assailant standing center in their nightmare reality.   Battered victims are told by their abusers they are worthy of nothing more than being beaten.   Deserted spouses hear allegations of not being worthy of love.   Abused children learn they were a mistake and never wanted.   The greatest tragedy of all is that so many broken victims believe the “you deserve this” fallacies with which their perpetrators attack them.

     To any, and all, who see themselves in the distorted mirror of unworthiness, please gaze, and graze, upon this fact.   Your scars, misgivings, trials and tribulations are not who you are but what you went through.  

     Who are you?   You are, first and foremost, a child of God.   God is your Father – a Father whose arms hold forgiveness not blame, love not rejection, understanding not narrow mindedness, compassion not hard heartedness.   The world, and worldly, might put you down; but God will raise you up.      

My words are human.   In honesty, I’m not really sure if any human words can help ease the pain of anyone broken by those entrusted to love and care for them.   However, God’s words and love can.  “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)