Supporting people with exceptional needs has been a tremendous blessing to me, because they are teaching me invaluable lessons about life. Because of them, I feel my life as a Christian is becoming more balanced. Before encountering these people, my relationships were limited and not quite healthy. When I interacted only with university students, I developed a kind of elitism that is uncharacteristic of Jesus Christ. Jesus reached out to people of all kinds. Even though he raised disciples, he did not limit the scope of his social interaction only to those we might consider to be good discipleship material. Jesus also mingled with the less fortunate and disadvantaged and regarded them as having immense value.

Through supporting people with developmental disabilities, God has taught me one precious lesson: People know who truly loves them. At our facility, we try to keep them engaged in many kinds of meaningful and fun activities. But do you know what makes them happiest? Seeing mom or dad.

One individual whom I support is in his twenties. His profile says that he has the mental capabilities of a two year-old toddler. But that is not quite correct. He is not like a little child in every way. He is a genius in remembering things. He can sing all kinds of songs even though he does not know how to read. After hearing a song a couple of times, the next time he can sing it.

The most striking experience I had with this man was how he reacted to his mother’s death. One day we sat down in the living room holding each other’s hands. When one staff member told him that his mother passed away and went to heaven, his eyes welled up with tears and he cried loudly. I had never seen him crying like this. This made my eyes wet. He knew that his loving mother was gone. Losing his mom who loved him so dearly was a saddest and most traumatic experience of his life.

A mother is a very special person. She is especially so for people with extraordinary needs, because their circle of friendships is unusually small. Even people who seem to know nothing understand who loves them.

One thing I know is that our Lord Jesus Christ loved me so much that he gave up his life for me on the cross. It is my heart’s desire to learn how to love someone genuinely with the love of Christ, whether that person is a university student or a person with developmental disabilities or even my own child.