From James Dodwell - Hammers of Hope
Good Morning,
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Camp ASCCA located
on Lake Martin, Al. The camp is purposed for special needs children and offer
several activities for the “campers” during their stay. They have archery, horseback
riding, a nature center, a sensor room, putt-putt golf, boating activities on
the lake, a craft room, zip lines, splash pad and much more. At one point
during our tour, we had to wait while several campers paraded by us on the way
to the next activity, when one of the young men at the end stopped, turned to
me and said, ”Hey, what is your name”?
Surprised that he picked me out I said, “Jim.” He said, “Hello, Jim, you
are a big guy, you know what we just did in that room?” “No sir”, I replied. He
said, “Me neither but it was something with dirt and I got it all over my
hands, so be careful.” I said, “Okay, I will, good to meet you.”
As I walked to the entrance to rejoin my group, he shouted,
“Hey, Jim, you forgot to give me a hug.” So I walked back to him and gave him a
hug and shook both his dirty hands. He smiled then asked me,” Hey, Jim, what’s
your last name?” I said, “Dodwell.” He looked at me for several seconds as if
trying to process the name and its meaning, then said, ”Well, Jim I need to move
along, see you later, bye, good to meet you and watch out for that dirt in
there.” I don’t know if he will remember me but I will always remember him, a
special young man making the my visit extra special by taking the time to touch
my heart, share a little advice and offer me a hug which I could not pass up.
I heard it said, “Sometimes the embers are better than the
campfire.” My interpretation is that the flames and heat from roaring fire will
make you stand back while the cooler, glowing embers will draw you closer
seeking their warmth. In my limited experience with special needs children they
are like the embers. The warmth of closeness and love is what they seek, not
necessarily for themselves but to share. They think of others first. They
accept you, unconditionally, whether you accept them or not. This could be a
lesson for all of us, in my opinion. The young man’s openness, honesty, and
trust in me affected me in a way I can’t explain. He opened the eyes of my
heart in those few minutes of conversation and I will never be able to repay
him for the kindness.
Special needs: love, hope, kindness, joy, faith, honesty,
trust, character, integrity, and so forth and so on, are especially needed.
These are obtainable and shareable and it requires so little work. We just need
to keep our heart open and willing to accept these within so we can share them
with others without. So why do we simply
do what is expected instead of the unexpected? We are thinking only of ourselves
when this happens. But think about this, when we give generously, the impact of
our generosity often outlives us. What, this is crazy talk…Well, not really.
In the moment of giving, we cannot imagine how our actions
might impact the lives of others in the future. Because generously adding value
to others is rare, the impact of that generosity lingers long after we are
gone. Sometimes it outlives us both now and in eternity. We all have gifts to
offer others. God has gifted us strengths we are to use to benefit others.
Everyone has something we all need. His gift makes us indispensible to others.
In the Book of Luke, generosity played a big role in the feeding of the five
thousand with five loaves and two fish. Jesus blessed the small basket of fish
and bread and at the end of the meal collected 12 times more. This is how
generosity works. In other words, a candle loses nothing by lighting another.
I encourage each of us to be open with our gifts and to
share our love, hope, joy and faith with others. Be willing to share the flame
of our candle to provide a source of His light to others. It will make a
difference and add value to others lives and our lives, as well. Luke 9:12-17
No comments:
Post a Comment