Craig Clouston

Special Needs

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

Michael Garcia approached the group, intending to take their dinner order. As he got close enough to hear the conversation that thought changed. One member of the group aired a demeaning insult that could be heard several tables away. “Special needs children should be special somewhere else!”

Michael, and everyone else who heard the comment, was taken aback. He knew they were referring to Milo Castillo, the Down-Syndrome five-year-old who sat at the next table. The Castillo family, regulars at Laurenzo’s, were shocked to hear such open slander. Being fond of Milo, the comment angered Michael. He approached the table, and with all the civility he could muster, said, “I'm not going to be able to serve you.”

“What?! Why not?” they asked.

“Because of your insensitive remark. How could you say that?” Michael demanded of the one who had spoken the heartless slur. “How could you say that about a beautiful 5-year-old angel?”

†

How have we sunk to the level of cruelty required to denigrate and belittle someone as tender as a five-year-old? Sadly, insensitive intolerance is all too common today, and offensive comments are made without apology or excuse. It would seem some people can’t get past outward appearance when it makes them uncomfortable. If anyone had special needs in Laurenzo’s that night it was the man who made the comment, because he was in serious need of a heart transplant. Voicing such an opinion in such a vulgar manner revealed a heart hardened by some unforgiven wounding.

Thankfully Michael, without thought of how his refusal to serve the group would affect his employment status, immediately responded to the intolerant customer. His action, applauded by not only the Castillo family and the owners of Laurenzo’s, was direct, decisive, and appropriate.

We should take a page from God’s Book, and look at the heart, which in Milo’s case is purer than driven snow, unpretentious, and more humble than someone born without Down-Syndrome.

Prayer

“Father of all those You call special, soften our hearts to see the true worth of everyone we meet. And may we champion those who need a voice. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”