As I sat in the pizza parlor with my team and others on my squad, I engaged in one of my favorite pastimes: people watching.
My gaze floated around the restaurant, not really paying much attention to any particular person, until a group of women walked in. All four of them looked to be about my age, all four looked like they were having fun with their friends. As I watched, one of the women drew my attention over and over.
I watched the group as they laughed together, talked animatedly, ate their pizza, and sipped their drinks. As they talked in rapid Albanian to each other, swapping stories and gossip, I just had to smile at the picture they made. I saw four friends enjoying each other’s company immensely. I saw four women bonding together in fellowship. And I saw something else.
Inclusion.
You see, one of the women, the one that drew my eye over and over, had Down’s syndrome. This beautiful woman, blessed with an extra chromosome, was also blessed with three great friends. It was so obvious the three other women loved and respected this woman, and it was incredible to see inclusion in action.
So often, when working with children who have special needs, I hear the term “inclusion” a lot.
Include (verb): To have someone as part of a group or total
Often, people feel like they need to do a lot of extra work to include someone with special needs in a group. While sometimes these individuals do need some extra support, all they need to be a part of the group is for someone to reach out a hand and embrace them as a fellow human being. As humans, we are all endowed with respect and dignity from our Creator. If He has included us in the group of His most prized creation, we should be eager to include each other. If He bled and died to include us in His family forever, we should be willing to welcome others as part of our lives, no matter their abilities. If we could all take the example of these women in a pizza parlor in Kosovo, the world would be a much happier place. What an example of how Christ’s love includes everyone, not just those with certain abilities or appearances!
Who can you include today?
