Clothed with Disabilities [Washington, DC]

What a beautiful, indeed a rare scene. Arms and eyes locked, an embrace of love between two very different yet so very similar lives. Is not God the God of differences? Is it not He who is the creator within the womb? Does not this God clothe each of his loved ones with disabilities?

During a recent photo shoot for Young Life's Capernaum ministry for kids with disabilities, I focused the lens of my camera on scenes of love that so few of my friends have ever seen. It was a supernatural love between people clothed with disabilities. To my eyes so accustomed to fearing differences, it was revealing. A seemingly "normal" person, wearing an invisible suit of disability, embracing a "disabled" person, clothed in his disability. Tom, a handsome, bright, high functioning young man with a crop of red hair wearing his autism. Emily, a perky, blond haired teenager, her lovely laugh unable to be held in, clothed in the mental capacity of a seven or eight year old. Will, a tall, older teen with a devil be damned glimmer in his eyes diverting attention from the thin stream of saliva escaping his perpetually open mouth, clothed in a staggering, awkard gait which he will not allow to keep him from romping around with his friends.

Perhaps our disabilities, whether worn in secret or out in the open, are a test challening us to see beyond the external person to what C. S. Lewis pointed out "…may one day be a creature which if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship…." What a wonder to see the people of Capernaum acing the test, seeing one another exactly in this way, regardless of what they wear.

Immigrants, Aliens, Criminals, Ceaser, and Jesus [Denver]

While photographing the Day Without Immigrants protest in Denver earlier this week, I was stopped by a youngish looking, fit and trim, 50 year old, bike riding hispanic man, who wanted to be sure I left with the right point of view. He was enraged that these so called “immigrants,” who he insisted on referring to as “illegal aliens,” expected immediate amnesty and a fast track to U.S. citizenship.

A Mexican national himself just seven years ago, he looked down upon the protesters, with whom he shared so much heritage, as nothing more than criminals wanting a free ride. His ride, afterall, he said, had taken he and his wife seven years to slowly, yet steadily, navigate their way through the legal maze to citizenship. “Why,” he asked, “do these people deny being criminals? They have broken the laws of my country! Even the Bible speaks about this,” he spoke forcefully, “didn’t Jesus himself admonish his followers to “render onto Ceaser what belongs to Ceaser’s”?

Well, he was definitely in the minorty, a lone hispanic voice hopelessly trying to shout down the other 74,999 protesters estimated to have gathered. And shout he did a few hours later at the opposition rally held by just a hundred or so Americans taking his point of view. It was ironic that his shouts went unheard here as well, misinterpreted by those hundred booing and hissing him out of his pulpit upon a stairway, ears deafened by his skin color to the fact that he was, in fact, one of them. Though why anyone, regardless of one’s point of view, would want to be one of them is beyond me. They were an angry, vulgar, violent group – ugly Americans in America.

None were uglier than the group of five “born American contractors” threatening and cajoling, just waiting to pick a fight with the group of protesters who had wandered over to hear their protest. I have to admit I was confused, having a hard time in the midst of all the tension deciphering the complexities of these issues. I wondered what Jesus thinks of this, and then I noticed the black T-shirt on one of the screaming contactors, printed with words extolling people’s need for Jesus. Yeah, people need Jesus whether immigrants, aliens, criminals, even Ceaser.


An interesting afterthought: Leaving the opposition rally, now cordoned off by 75 or so bulletproof vest wearing Denver cops holding the two sides apart, I overheard one of the Mexican protest organizers say to another, "Yes, it really is nothing more than a race issue.” Indeed...