No One Understands

Tears stained my pillow as I grieved for my handicapped child. The night accentuated the loneliness I felt and in my sorrow, I cried out to Heaven at the injustice she suffered. 'Please, God! How my Heart aches for Her! She's innocent and deserves so much better. It's just not fair! Why must she suffer so?'

It was then that the angel came. 'I've been sent to tell you about another Child who was born with a handicap,' I was told, 'For this Child, it was a terminal one.'

'The Child lived only 33 years and during those years, nearly died a dozen times. His parents were separated before His birth, and throughout the years, His Father-from a distance-watched Him grow, knowing that things would get much worse before ever they got better.

'Right from the start it seemed that this Child was to have an uphill battle. He was born more or less outdoors on a cold night, with conditions that could hardly be considered sanitary. When He was only a few days old, His mother had to flee with Him to a foreign country to escape the plottings of a demonic king who wished the Infant dead.

'As this Baby became a boy, His parent's hearts ached for reasons other than concern about His physical safety. Because of His handicap, this boy didn't do a lot of things that other children did, and He was often left out or laughed at. He had to attend a special school, and the kids He'd see in the neighborhood or at church would sometimes say hurtful things because of that.

'He was a good boy, and His parents loved Him dearly, but He had to be carefully kept, and this was of particular concern to His mother, who often seemed to have to provide most of the specialized care alone.

'Once when He was still a boy, His mother thought she had lost Him for good, but after three anxious days it looked like He would be all right and she breathed easier. It should be said, however, that even during those times when His life assumed a degree of normalcy His mother's heart felt the steady prick of a sword, for His future was uncertain.

'As the Boy grew older He came to understand that for reasons pertaining to His handicap, He would never be able to marry or have a family of His own. This was especially hard for Him because He was, above all else, a lover.

'For a time He worked with His hands, but eventually He took up a completely different line of work, and His mother watched Him with mixed emotions. At first it appeared that He was going to make quite a mark in the world, but in less than three years, she came to realize that His work would be cut short.

'He had heart trouble, you see, and it finally got the best of Him. His life had always been an uphill battle, but when He climbed that last hill, it proved too much for Him.

'His parents were not together when He died, but they were both on hand to see it happen. One of the Young Man's friends tried to be of some support to His mother, but no one was there to wipe away His Father's tears. The Father had been away for most of the Child's life. It had been indescribably difficult for Him, and He tried to come to His Son at the end, but the Young Man was in such bad shape that He was unaware of His Father's presence.

'When His Son died, they say the Father's cries could be heard around the world. Perhaps that's just a figure of speech, but perhaps for those who have ears to hear it's a reality.'

The angel put a hand upon my shoulder. 'Child,' He said, 'If misery loves company, you have some of the best. I care, but He understands.'