FOODFORTHOUGHT

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning
disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire
school career, while others can be main streamed into conventional schools.

At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a
speech that would never be forgotten by all that attended. After
extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is
the perfection in my son Jerry?

Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot
understand things as other children do. 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 this child."

He then told the following story about his son Jerry:

One afternoon Jerry and his father walked past a park where some boys
Jerry knew were playing baseball. Jerry asked, "Do you think they will
let me play?" Jerry's father knew that his son was not at all athletic
and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Jerry's father
understood that if his son were chosen to play it would give him a
comfortable sense of belonging.

Jerry's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if
Jerry could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his
teammates. 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

Jerry's father was ecstatic as Jerry smiled broadly. Jerry was told to
put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of
the eighth inning, Jerry's team scored a few runs but was still behind
by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Jerry's team scored again
and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning
run on base, Jerry was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let
Jerry bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Jerry was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all
but impossible because Jerry didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
let alone hit with it. However, as Jerry stepped up to the plate, the
pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Jerry should at
least be able to make contact. The first pitch came in and Jerry swung
clumsily and missed. One of Jerry's teammates came up to Jerry 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 toward Jerry.

As the pitch came in, Jerry and his teammate swung the bat and together
they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the
soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first
baseman. Jerry would have been out and that would have ended the game.
Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right
field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.

Everyone started yelling, "Jerry, run to first. Run to first!" Never in
his life had Jerry run to first. He 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 the ball to the second baseman that
would tag out Jerry, who was still running. But the right fielder
understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball
high and far over the third baseman's head. Everyone yelled, "Run to second,
run to second."

Jerry ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously
circled the bases towards home.

As Jerry reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him,
turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third." As
Jerry rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming,
"Jerry run."

Jerry ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 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 softly with tears now rolling down his
face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection."

PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, Thank you for everything. All creation
proclaims your glory. Grant us the grace to grow in love with your Word
so that as we respond more fully to Your love, we may produce good
fruit for your glory.

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