Have you ever encountered love in action? Not romantic, fuzzy, touchy feely love, but true sacrificial love. This evening as I went to dinner, I didn't expect I would have such an encounter.
As the hostess showed us to our seat I noticed the gentlemen at the table next to ours. He was casually dressed and accompanied by his son who was in a full wheelchair. They appeared to be having a conversation, the gentlemen being patient as the son struggled to get out each word. My heart went out to this young man, who could not have been more than 18 years old and perhaps in a wheelchair his entire life.
As we sat at our table conversing over various subjects, my eyes were once again drawn to the gentleman & his son. The waiter had delivered their food, a large pepperoni pizza. What followed brought tears to my eyes. The father pulled a slice of pizza off the tray, cut a piece off and proceeded to feed his son. It was then that I noticed this young man was paralyzed from the neck down. Having no use of his arms or hands he had to rely on his father to feed him. This went on for quite awhile with the gentleman taking only short breaks to take a quick bite. Not only did he feed his son but he was patient and gentle with him. He was attentive to his son as he tried to carry on a conversation. What love this man had for his son.
I have not stopped thinking about the man and his son since I left this evening. I wonder about the circumstances that lead to him being in a wheelchair and what daily life must be like for these two men.
As we pursue adoption, excited for the possibility of having a child, it is small reminders like the one this evening of how sacrificial parenting is. For a selfish individual such as I, it's overwhelming to think how sacrificially my parents and my Father in heaven have loved me. I cannot comprehend sacrifice like that. One of my new found favorite songs is "He loves us" by David Crowder. The chorus simply says:
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us
May I learn true sacrificial love, just as Christ, just as this man for his son.
hj
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