His Image

Dear Parents,

I sold him short. The high school English class had a strong speech component. In the first weeks of school, each of us had to get up in front of class and make a short speech. He bombed. In fact, he seemed afraid. I wrote him off. Big mistake. By the end of the year, I saw him as a gifted athlete, great singer, above average student, and good friend. When we were together, I did the talking, but he did the planning. In my immature mind, I saw his fear of public speaking as an indication of weakness. I soon learned that he was an impressive individual, one that I looked up to. We have touched bases a few times over the years. He has learned to cope with his fear – and is a successful businessman.

I was reminded of my old friend after watching THE KINGS SPEECH, this past weekend. After the abdication of his brother, “Bertie” became the King of England at the crucial period of history leading up to World War II. Now King George, Bertie had to overcome a severe stutter that was so debilitating that most had written him off as incompetent. They were wrong. I won’t ruin the movie by divulging more details; I recommend the movie. (The R rating, I assume, is due to the use of swearing words, a part of his unorthodox speech therapy.)

Many of us have a tendency to jump to conclusions about those that have a disability of any sort. I was guilty in my younger days but I’d like to think that I am wiser now. The truth is, we are all flawed in some way, and some flaws are more obvious than others… It is time to see each other as God sees us – created in His image.