SPECIAL VS NORMAL

 

Location:

Matthew 25:40  Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

Headline:

"Every team requires unity. A team has to move as one unit, one force, with each person understanding and assisting the roles of his teammates. If the team doesn't do this, whatever the reason, it goes down in defeat. You win or lose as a team, as a family."

Jack Kemp (pro quarterback in the 1950s and 60s)

Game Summary:

Often times kids who are special are completely separated from the so called “normal” kids in school, but how powerful can they be together?

A friend of mine sent me a YouTube video about a middle school football team whose players decided they wanted to plan a surprise for someone special on their team.  The players met secretly for weeks and designed two plays they would use in a game they would play soon.   During that game, one of the players who was a part of the secret plan, was running for a sure touchdown, but instead of scoring, he slid down to the ground on purpose, on the one yard line.  The fans in the stands were upset, because they saw that he could have scored, but he didn't, on purpose.  On the next play, the quarterback took the snap from center, turned and handed the ball off to a player who had never played before, because he was a special needs student.  The quarterback stepped to the side of his special teammate, put his arms around him, and with the help of other teammates, guided him into the end zone to score the touchdown!  He was truly a part of the team now. What a thrill for him, and his parents, as well.

Why did the players do this?

Having this special needs student on the team helped them understand how blessed they all were and how difficult life was every single day for their special teammate.  They had lots of friends, they were the "cool" ones at school, they were invited to all the parties, they were " normal".  Their special friend had none of those things, and he certainly wasn't considered "normal".  The players realized they spent most of their time thinking only of themselves and their "normal" friends and what made them happy.  They wanted to do something special, for their special teammate.

So, what's the lesson to be learned?

*Don't think that helping those less fortunate, is just for adults.  I'll bet you can think of someone at school, on a ball team, in Bible class, a neighbor, a relative, who could use a friendly "Hi!  How are you?"  Or ," I heard you've been ill, are you feeling better?"  Or, "We're going to a movie, would you like to go with us?"  Practice is necessary to improve on anything we're wanting to accomplish in our lives.  Begin looking today for people you can reach out to and ask God to help you as you do.  The more you reach out to people, the easier it will become, and remember, God loves you!

 

MVP:

Keith Orr #14 from, Olivet Middle School in Olivet, Mich

 

 

Recap:

Who can you think of that you could do something special for?

Brainstorm with the team on what you could do.

Practice:

The video link to this story is available at this link, Special vs Normal

It was a featured special story on CBS Evening News.

Contributed by Margaret Kaiser, Sports Parent and Fan