Cowboys In Wheelchairs

Cowboys in Wheelchairs

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

— Galatians 6:2

Little Matthew and Stephen came to one of our Family Retreats to volunteer alongside their mom and dad. They pushed wheelchairs, carried lunch trays, held Bibles, and played games with kids in wheelchairs. The boys had a blast, plus it provided great insight as to how disabled kids deal with daily struggles.

After the retreat was over, Matthew received a Lego City for his birthday. Their father observed his boys snap together a cowboy and Indian fort. They built walls, watchtowers, and a group of teepees. “What’s that?” Dad pointed to an odd conglomeration of blocks.

“It’s a ramp,” they replied. “It’s there so people in wheelchairs can get in the fort.” The boys started snapping together little wheelchairs with square wheels. (Square? It’s the thought that counts.) The cowboys rode wheelchairs instead of horses. So did the Indians. The boys constructed ramps into the general store, livery stable, and the jail. (I suppose that shows disabled people are sinners too.)

“They came up with the idea themselves,” their father told me. “It came naturally.” Hobnobbing for a week with kids in wheelchairs changed Matthew and Stephen. They will grow up to be adults who think, What can I do to make life easier for my disabled friend? It won’t be a fearful world of “us” and “them,” but a world where it comes naturally to put in a ramp, widen a door, reach out a hand, or open a heart. It will be a great world when it happens, and Matthew and Stephen are paving the way.

Think of a family member, neighbor, or coworker who has a disability. Is there anything you can do to make his or her life a little easier for them? If so, you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Lord, open my eyes to the needs of others. Help me to carry their burdens and so fulfill your law . . . the law of love.