In this time of social media, we more than ever can know where we stand with others. If we have a child, and especially one with special needs, we acutely feel the pricks and the hurting over whether or not our child is included. Particularly poignant are the posts of children with autism whose parties were ignored by everyone except for close relatives.
I can't imagine their pain.
Our birthday parties are like a social bar graph of where we stand in the scheme of things. It shows how liked we are. How included we've become. Or not. It can hurt. We see the festivities our children were not invited to.
Our little children are not playing the games we as adults are playing. I realize that at a certain point they will and that they do because I once was young. I do know, however, that often it is the parents' decision not to include those who are on the 'out' list. And our little ones suffer.
Unnecessarily.
We play games, deciding who is in and who is out and who would be of most benefit to us socially. We set up a system where the have and have-nots are determined nigh from the cradle to great beyond. And what are we gaining? Is the Father pleased with our actions?
When a little one extends his or her hand, asking you to join her for a celebration of the day she was born, consider this:
The Father once prepared a feast. He sent out the invitations, but one by one, people made excuses. One person said they just bought a pair of oxen and could not go, and another said he could not because he had just married a wife.
The Father was angry, and sent His servants to gather the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. There was still room, and He compelled those in the highways and byway to come in and said that none who were invited would taste of His banquet.
Jesus loves the little ones. Their angels are always before Him in heaven. Be careful how you treat them. And if you're throwing a feast, consider this: Then Jesus said to his host,
"When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
It's simple. Invite them. Bring the little ones, the ones that others forget, and go when you are invited to their festive parties. Show kindness and inclusivity to this next generation, and maybe in the future, we will not have to worry so much about the politics of birthday parties.
Stay Gutsy,
Rosa
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