My Response: Understanding the Handicapped

How we should regard them:

Handicapped people are often quite shy, nervous, and sometimes high spirited. They are misunderstood by others so often because of the way they act or look. We should treat them in a godly manner, giving them kindness and consideration. Some handicapped people scare others which makes it difficult to understand them and love them. Some handicaps are just hard to take care of. Many families have had a loved one who used to be “normal” but were changed greatly because of a handicap that formed from an accident, bad health, or mental issues. We should have compassion on the handicapped as Christians and show the love of Christ through our actions. It does not matter how different someone is God made both the handicapped and the average person specially in His own image.

Our Similarities:

Both everyday people and handicapped people share several similarities. Some people who do not like handicapped people say that handicapped people have no emotions, but this of course is not true. Handicapped people often are too shy or sad because of their handicap that they do not talk much, but they still have emotions just like us. They feel angry, happy, sad, shy, and every emotion that can be felt. Another similarity would be that they can be hurt just like others. That means they can either have their feelings hurt or they can be hurt physically. They are not impervious to pain. They also have to overcome obstacles much like the everyday worker in his work. This can be anything from walking across the room to cleaning up a little in a room. Handicapped people are similar to “normal” people in several aspects.

Our Differences:

The main separating difference between the average man and a handicapped man is obviously the handicap itself. This can create an awkward situation when considering this differentiation. Another prominent difference is the expressive emotions of a handicapped person. Some are extremely expressive while others never make a sound. Handicapped people tend to have rapid mood fluctuations. People who are handicapped also have to deal with being put down for what they are. This is wrong. Instead of looking at the differences we should try to find similarities and things to enjoy with them. This can help handicapped people not to be self-conscious and forget their handicap.

What We Can Do:

As Christians we can be a godly example and share the gospel with the handicapped people forgetting our differences. We can show great love through our actions and be friends to those in need.-Luke 20:21b …and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth.