Looking Through Eyes of Love

For two evenings last weekend, I was in the audience to see my son perform in the title role in West Texas A&M’s performance of The Elephant Man.  This true story of a 19^th century Englishman with severe physical deformities is a powerful piece of theater as well as a glimpse into the good and the bad of humanity.  Click here to read more of the true story and see actual photos.

As a proud and completely biased father, I can tell you that my son was amazing as Merrick.  The fact that I am biased does not make it any less true.  I have seen enough theater to know good acting when I see it and I was mesmerized.  No special effects or prosthetics were used to create the hideous deformities of Joseph Merrick.  The illusion was created by acting and posture.  I could go on and on.

But I won’t.

I really don’t want this week’s blog to be about my son or about the play.  I want to focus on how we see people.  Last week I wrote about noticing people, not being oblivious to those around us.  This week I am thinking more about how we often arbitrarily place value on individuals based on external appearances.  And I am thinking about how often we are wrong.

My friend, Perry Clark, was born with cerebral palsy 72 years ago.  He has to have a walker to get around and his speech is difficult to understand.  There are those who think he doesn’t have much to offer to the world, but there are few people I have known who love as deeply and loyally as Perry.  He has a quick wit and is a joy to be around.  I got to spend a little time with him one evening this past week for the first time in several years.  The blessing was mine.  That’s someone I know.

In the audience at the play one night was a young man who was obviously born with extreme physical deformities in his arms and legs.  He sat in the row behind us.  I did not speak with him, but I heard his insightful conversation with his companions during intermission.  That’s someone I don’t know.  I wonder how many times in his life he has been undervalued because of his physical appearance.

Like Joseph Merrick, most people with physical or mental disabilities don’t want to be pitied and avoided.  They want to be valued. They want to have friends.  They want to contribute.  They want to have conversations.  They want to be treated like people.

Our lives matter so much to God that He wants us to treat every person as someone whose life matters, someone who was created in the image of God (on the inside where it really matters), and someone for whose sins Jesus died.

God, give us loving eyes so we can see like You.