Isn’t it amazing how lasting friendships can happen in an instant?
Welcome to Joni and Friends – I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and, to me, it really is amazing how life-long relationships often get their start through a simple, nonchalant encounter. I’m thinking of “Butch” – it was a cold, snowy day back in 1961 when Roger, a football player at Vermont’s Middlebury College, asked Butch and his grandmother if they needed a ride. Butch, who has cerebral palsy, was snowplowing along in his wheelchair – he and his grandmother were heading home after having attended the football game at Middlebury that cold afternoon. When Roger saw the two of them sludging through the snow, he stopped to ask if they needed a ride – a moment later, Roger was helping Butch and his grandmother into his car and driving them home. And it would be the beginning of a most remarkable friendship – between Butch and the entire Middlebury community.
Because ever since that snowy day, students at Middlebury College have been driving Butch, who is now 60 years old, to and from games every Saturday. During football season, basketball players – typically 18-year-old freshmen – they pick Butch up. And then during basketball season, the freshmen football players take over. For 46 years, the students have made it a priority to get Butch to every home game. They call it, simply, “picking up Butch.” They didn’t realize it, but the Middlebury students were learning lessons that no college professor could ever teach them. But the story doesn’t stop there; in 2003, a student at Middlebury helped Butch earn his high school diploma… at the age of 56 years old, no less.
Over the years, hundreds of students have been impacted by helping Butch – now graduated, most of them are lawyers, businessmen, teachers, and engineers, all of them scattered across the country. A few are even special ed and physical therapy professionals – all because of their initial contact with Butch. And each of these professionals, all graduates from Middlebury College… each of them has a Butch story.
I share this because it underscores how one person with a disability – and his special needs – can impact an entire community for the good: all because people learn to serve sacrificially. I also share Butch’s story because it can (and should) be the story of the body of Christ. Galatians 6 puts it this way. It says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Friend, let’s not only be hearers of the Word, but doers, helping with the practical needs of someone like Butch. That’s a glorious way of putting that Scripture into practice. I cannot begin to tell you how many times pastors have told me, “You know, Joni, our congregation has been so blessed by having special needs families in our church – our people have learned what they could never learn in a sermon: and that is, how to serve as Jesus served; it’s made all the difference in our church!”
Well, listening friend, to help you and your church get started, I’d love to send you my booklet called “Disability Tips for Pastors” which will highlight all sorts of ways you can reach out to people like Butch. And, hey, it’s not just for pastors – c’mon, these tips are for everybody in church. You can get your free copy by clicking on joniandfriendsradio.org and asking for “Disability Tips for Pastors.” Again, that’s joniandfriendsradio.org. And until next time, if you’ve got a “Butch story,” so to speak, let me hear about it – we’re always up for new ways to serve people with disabilities here at Joni and Friends.
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