Last night I watched a documentary called Praying with Lior, about a child with Downs Syndrome who loves to pray. There were many interesting concepts discussed in this film, such as why a child with Downs Syndrome would be so attracted to prayer. However, it’s easy enough to conclude that for some reason his “condition” makes him closer to God. I was struck by something else: his treatment by the other children in the Jewish school.
When Lior was sent to a religious school to study, none of the other boys teased him or bullied him. Surely in another school they would have because of his “differences.”
Just two nights before I saw a TV show about bullying. A boy with no disability at all was teased relentlessly on a school bus for simply being studious, skinny, wearing glasses, and not fitting in. Other children talked about being bullied because of their sexual preferences. My son is a dancer; I know how he was bullied all through school for choosing a different extracurricular activity–one that became his profession.
In one segment of the film the other boys at the Jewish school talked about the fact that Lior was, indeed, different. One little boy, in particular, mentioned that God gives each of us a test in this lifetime. Lior’s test was Downs Syndrome. He also mentioned that his own test–and the test for the other children–involved how they chose to treat Lior.
Where did this child’s attitude toward this “different” boy come from? The television show I watched would have pointed fingers toward the parents and towards teachers as bad influences. In this case, it was not just his parents or his teachers that provided a good influences or even other students–although they surely did influence him. The influence came from what he learned from his religion. His religion made him tolerant. It made him understanding and compassionate.
What a difference place the world would be if we all learned these lessons.
As I listened to the boy, I wondered what test of my own I was taking in this lifetime. I stopped to think about the tests I face daily in dealing with others.
Has God given you a test to pass? Do you know what it is and are you passing?
Photo courtesy of Arvind Balaraman | freedigitalphotos.net
