GOD'S PLANAt a fund-raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled
children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a speech that
would never be forgotten by all who attended.
After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question.
"Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son, Shay, cannot
learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other
children do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?" The audience was
stilled by the query.
The father continued. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God
brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the
Divine Plan presents itself, and it comes in the way people treat that
child."
Then, he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a
park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you
think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that most boys would not
want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were
allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay
could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting
none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six
runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team
and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was
still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove
and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously
ecstatic just be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved
to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two
outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was
scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at
this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay
was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because
Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with
the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to
lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The
first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took
a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came
in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The
pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to
the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the
game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right
field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.
Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first. Run to first." Never in his
life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" By
the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball.
He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right
fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the
ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran towards second
base as the runners ahead of him furiously circled the bases towards home.
As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him
in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!" As Shay rounded
third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay! Run home!"
Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero, for
hitting a "grand slam" and winning the game for his team. "That day," said
the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both
teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world."
And now, a footnote to the story. We all have thousands of opportunities a day to help realize God's plan. So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a spark of the Divine? Or do we pass up that opportunity, and leave the world a bit colder in the process?