"Gently"

What are some things that you would handle gently? Things like your Grandmother’s china, kittens, sleeping babies, your Broncos John Elway Super Bowl jersey, or maybe even your sleek 2010 Ford Mustang. Those things we tend to treat with gentle loving care are those of high value, are precious, fragile or even vulnerable. We will often meticulously care for, watch over, protect, and even fret about those things, people and pets that fall into our “gentle loving care” category. What or who do you treat gently?

One of our family ministry experiences was serving as the chapel speaker for a Special Touch Ministries Get Away, a five day Christian camp for people with mental and physical disabilities in the Rocky Mountains in Northern Colorado. The two years we were at this camp were some of those most precious moments in ministry our family has ever experienced. With very little previous experience working with adults with mental disabilities, I was a little hesitant in what to expect from the camp. After the first day, the love, joy, innocence, vulnerability, and the openness we saw and felt from the campers was like peering into the heart of a young child. As I write this the memories of my disabled friends some 60+ of age, who accepted and loved our family unconditionally without any barriers or walls from day one stir in my heart and move me as I remember their faces. The short time with my disabled friends heightened all of my feelings. I felt their joy as we played games, sang songs or laughed at corny jokes, and it was a healing joy in my soul. I felt their pain, as some came from homes or care places with little friendship, love or care given to them, and you could see their stories as you gazed deep into their eyes when they shared about life at home. I witnessed true friendship and love for a brief moment from those excluded from mainstream life. Even though they probably don’t remember me, I will always remember them. When I think of something that I want to handle gently…I think of my Special Touch friends.

What do we truly value, consider precious, and treat with gentle loving care? Most things can be replaced, but a life, created in the image of God, is what God holds dear to his heart. We handle our infants gently, we care for our elderly with gentleness, but do we express gentleness to our spouses during an argument, to our children when they are disobeying, to a brother or sister who has offended us, or even the stranger that has just ticked us off? The life lesson my Special Touch friends taught me, was how precious each of us are, even the outcast and neglected in society, and that the love of God is expressed in our gentleness to one another.

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. – James 3:17 ( NLT)

A prayer of blessing upon my Special Touch friends and Special Touch Heroes (those who make the camps possible) lifted to Heaven’s Court today.