Do you remember those "WWJD" bracelets? What would Jesus Do? Maybe it's because I went to a small private catholic school system, but growing up, those bracelets were popular. I am sure I had quite a few myself. They served as a good daily reminder for Christians as to what behavior was expected from us. When faced with a situation, look down at your bracelet and imagine what would Jesus do.
You are probably wondering what made me think of those bracelets. They certainly aren't the height of fashion today. Hopefully, though, the message behind the bracelet should still resonate with us. What would Jesus do, or whomever you look to as a role model?
When you see that person who is acting a little different, or talking a little weird, what do you do? When you see a parent struggling with their child, especially when you think that child looks too old to be acting like a toddler, what do you do? When you see someone being left out, or bullied, teased for being different, what do you do?
After Jacob was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, I remember many people, when they first found out, would tell me they were sorry. And they would tell me how lucky Jacob was to have me as his mother. That they didn't know how I did it. That they couldn't do it. That always struck me as odd. And I could never really put my finger on why.
There are a thousand different quotes about autism and special needs parenting. One of which is in response to those who say they couldn't be as strong, that they couldn’t do it, is that we weren't given a choice.
But that's not true either. We do have a choice in how we respond, how we react, and how we treat others. I remember riding the bus in Middle school and High school, and going from one bus to another. Since I went to a private school, the bus ride was maybe a little longer, and we stopped at a much bigger public school.
I wish I could remember his name. What I remember the best is how he was treated. He was disabled, completely blind, and rode the bus with me in the afternoons. Almost no one wanted him to sit with them because he had to touch you to know where you were. He was different, and people in general, don't like different. He always had a seat with me.
It's moments like that, in those everyday interactions, how we treat others, that we should think to ourselves is this what Jesus, or whoever, would do? Would Jesus stare at someone? Or would Jesus say hello?
And it's those thoughts that remind me that maybe Jacob is lucky to have the people that he does in his life. Not only does he have the Daviess County Sheriff's Office as his supporters and his family members as some of his biggest fans, he also has some real friendships with his Puzzle Pieces staff.
Those staff members are more than just staff members. They care. They include. They show up to celebrate his birthday. They want to see him outside of "work". I've had staff members watch him on the weekends, and ask to keep him longer. I've had staff members that volunteer their time to hang out with him.
And the icing on all of this, is that he is excited to see them outside of Puzzle Pieces, when he gets to hang out with them. We all have a choice, every day, in every interaction. Are we going to include those with disabilities? Are we going to be scared by their differences? What would Jesus do?
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