Joshua and Jason
Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada with a heartwarming story.
I’m thinking of what happened at one of our Family Retreats last year. Jason is a teenager with Down syndrome, and he was so excited about coming to Family Retreat. His brother Joshua though, sure wasn’t. Joshua and Jason’s father had passed away some months earlier and, out of respect for his dad’s wishes, Joshua agreed to tag along to Family Retreat with the rest of the family.
The first day of Retreat, Joshua kind of stood back and watched Jason, his little brother, dive into all the activities. He admired (from a distance) the commitment of the volunteers, the perseverance of the families, but he was still, well, he was a bit of an outsider looking in — just the brother of a disabled kid along for the ride. But things were about to change, because the next night, Joshua was asked to get involved. It happened when the mother of another disabled boy needed help. Leanne was her name and she asked Joshua — since he obviously had disability savvy, what with his little brother and all — Leanne asked him to assist her in getting her disabled son to the bathroom. Joshua was taken aback. At first, he thought Leanne was presumptuous, but then he agreed. After Joshua had helped Leanne get her disabled son in bed, he stayed around a bit to learn her story. Leanne told him she was undergoing chemotherapy for a recent cancer operation, yet despite her weakened condition, she was determined to bring her son to Family Retreat. She said, “This is my son’s highlight of the year. He loves coming to this thing, ever since we adopted him.” Leanne and her husband had known before the adoption that this little guy would be disabled, but they went ahead with the adoption anyway.
Joshua had to take a step back because Leanne’s story touched his heart in a place he never knew existed. Before he left, he glanced over at the little boy in bed and thought of Jason, his own brother, Jason, just as excited as this kid about being here at Family Retreat. He stood there for a long moment without saying anything, and I suppose there is a point when, with all of our self-centered way of looking at life, there is a point when somebody else, unwittingly, unknowingly lobs a hand grenade right in the middle of our circumstances and blows apart all our selfish, inward way of looking at stuff. That’s what happened to Joshua that evening.
As he went back to his cabin, he realized he was no longer without a father; he was not just the brother of a disabled kid, dragging his feet on the outside looking into Family Retreat, wishing he were somewhere else. Leanne and her son and their story had gripped him and he saw for the first time what really counts in life: it’s love, it’s putting the other first, it’s going the second mile, giving the shirt as well as the coat, pouring out your life as a drink offering, deferring and yielding, and thinking of another’s needs before your own.
And that’s what Family Retreat is all about. And to be quite honest, isn’t that what life and love is all about? Philippians Chapter 2 tells us to look out for another’s interest before our own. And I’m happy to tell you we will be doing just that as this week we hold five – count them, five — of our Family Retreats scheduled for this summer. So please be praying for kids like Jason and Joshua and their families. And if you need some help praying, then after we are finished here, go over to my radio page, would you, at joniandfriends.org and watch a really stellar video that showcases the fun and fellowship of a Family Retreat. Jason — no, no, rather, Joshua would thank you.
Previously aired on 6/25/12 as program #7866
© Joni and Friends
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