A few months ago, I remember laying in bed in the complete darkness. I could see nothing in my room other than the dim red light of the clock. As I thought about this darkness, I began to think about what life would be like without other senses. After a few minutes of thought, I decided that if I had to choose between being blind and being deaf, I would easily choose being blind. I made this decision because so much of my life is based around sound. I have been leading in musical worship actively for four years. I have played in a band just as long. So many of the joys in my life come from hearing. I love sitting down and just listening. I love to listen to music, to drums and guitars, to singers, to the voices of loved ones, and to the sounds of things around me. Not being able to hear would change my life incredibly to the point that I would not know how to even function.
Last week, we went to IHNFA. IHNFA is a facility for teenage girls who have been pulled off the streets for all sorts of reasons. Some are there because of drugs and many are there because they were pregnant. Within this facility there is an area for children with special needs. I was privileged to serve in this area with a young boy. When I first walked in, he was sitting on the floor lifeless and emotionless. It looked as if there was no life in this child. I came to quickly find out that he was deaf and had been deaf since birth. It then made sense to me how lifeless and emotionless he was. But my perspective was quickly changed.
We broke out the water-color paints and I saw his face come alive. I showed him how to swirl his brush in the water and then in the paints. Before the brush ever touched the paper, he was smiling ear to ear. And then the actual painting began. His brush moved from paint to paper, from paper to floor, and from the floor to my legs. As he became fascinated with me, he could not keep himself from laughing. Everything I did brought him so much joy that he was laughing almost uncontrollably. He had found joy simply in color. Although he could not hear what I said, he could not hear his own voice, and he could not hear the sounds that the water made, he was able to find unimaginable amounts of joy.
I tell this story not just because it is a cool story, but also to say that no matter what situations God places us in, no matter what gifts and abilities we are given, there is always joy to be found. The Lord has blessed us with so many things to be thankful for, and sometimes we need to take a step back and find joy in the little things in life. Ultimately, we must recognize that all of this joy in life is from the Lord. So let us rejoice in the Lord.
