Joni Eareckon
Tada
From Not One
Should Perish
"Once upon a time there was a kitchen drawer full of knives,
forks and spoons."
The group of disabled boys and
girls, sitting in wheelchairs and leaning on
crutches, were fascinated. They could tell this would
be no ordinary story.
"Amongst the flatware, there
was one spoon all twisted and bent. He didn't
look
like the others. That's why the spoons in the drawer
made fun of him, taunting,
'You're no good . . . Who's going to use you?!' The
little bent spoon couldn't help
but feel sad."
As I told the story and looked
deep into the eyes of the children with
cerebral
palsy, sitting bent and twisted in their wheelchairs, I
thought I saw a glimmer
of empathy. Could they know how the spoon
felt?
"The little spoon looked a lot
like this one," I said as my friend held up
my
"spork," a utensil with serrated prongs that someone
inserts into my hand splint
so I can feed myself. (It's misshapen, but the angle is
perfect for lifting food from
my plate to my mouth.)
"But one day the drawer opened
and a big hand reached inside. Instead of
choosing a shiny, straight spoon, the master of the
household picked . . . the
ugly spoon! The rest of the flatware were amazed. And
as the bent spoon was
lifted out of the drawer, he beamed with pleasure. He
was about to be used by
the master."
The boys and girls giggled.
They watched my friend place the spork in my
hand splint and smiled to see me lift my arm to feed
myself. "And children, I
wouldn't be able to eat were it not for this special
spoon. True, it doesn't look
'normal,' and it doesn't fit in the utensil tray with
all the other knives, forks
and spoons. But there's no way I'll ever want to
'straighten it out.'"
The kids were fascinated.
"The important thing to
remember is this: The Master loves choosing
people
who are different to do His good work. Jesus knows He
can use us when He
bends us to suit His will . . . He can best use us
when we're shaped for His
special design."
My friend placed my spork back
in my handbag. But the lesson remained
of God's love (as well as His purpose!) for boys and
girls who look different.
A twisted spoon . . . and the bent body of a child . .
. all have a unique and
special purpose when placed in the Master's
hand.
