Try A 'Fist Bump'

Yesterday, my 7-year-old son Micah, had the privilege of helping a ‘special needs’ student practice his reading. The teacher took a beautiful photo of them reading a book together. As a mom, I was so proud to see my son helping this friend. When Micah came home from school, I told him that I had seen the photo and I was so proud of him. I asked him about the experience and if his new friend did a good job. Micah looked at me and with concern in his voice, he said, “No! AND he kept hitting me!” This was a great opportunity to teach Micah about people who are autistic and how God wants us to help them and care for them regardless of behavior. He told me that his teacher said, “if that happens, stick up your hand and encourage a ‘fist bump’ instead.” We had a great conversation about shining the love of Jesus and continuing to pray that God would reveal himself to our friend and that Jesus would live in his heart.

As I reflected on the situation and how faithful God is to teach us to love and care for others, the depth and value of this teachable moment began to unfold in my heart. You see, from time to time, God brings people and friends into our lives that give us an opportunity to shine His love. Just like Micah is learning how to redirect his friend’s reactions with a positive ‘fist bump’ and carry on with love, we need to learn to not react to the behavior of others. Instead, we are often called to simply respond with positive redirecting and to move forward in love. God calls us to love, and love is patient and love is kind. We must continue to walk closely with our faithful teacher, the Holy Spirit, so that we can learn how to redirect circumstances and respond in love.