The Cornerstone People by Rick Eastin

The Cornerstone People
By Rick Eastin
I would like to introduce you to the Cornerstone People – more commonly called the mentally retarded, severely handicapped, autistic. For now, however, I will call them the Cornerstone People. These people are often looked down upon by those around them. This reminds me of how the cross of Jesus was looked at by people around Him. The people in the time of Jesus thought of the cross as being weak, foolish and having no significant value. This is often the view people have of the Cornerstone People. However, it’s through the weakness of the cross that God saves those who believe. So it is also with Cornerstone People: God wants to reveal Himself through these people.
Pain was another aspect of the cross, and so it is with the families of these people. For when such a child is born, or becomes handicapped in this manner of life, the family experiences great loss and pain. Parents of these children continually face the death of dreams for their child or children: there are no hopes of such a child ever going to college, having a good job or marrying. Parents continually face the task of having to parent their children in a protective manner through the child’s lifetime. Often these parents hope to outlive their children, so they will not have to be concerned about who will care for their children once they are gone. Siblings are also faced with their own set of emotions concerning their handicapped brother or sister. These include embarrassment, which can be caused by the awkward behavior of their handicapped sibling. Also, these siblings are often given too much extra responsibility, and this can cause the sibling to be resentful towards the handicapped person. The presence of a handicapped child can also cause problems for marriages: four out of five couples now raising a handicapped child will break up.
Although it would seem that there is no hope for these families, there is great hope to be found in Jesus. This is where you and I come in: as we reach out to the children of these families and love them as they are, this will help the families see what God is like, and as they do, these families may come to know Jesus. Child likeness is a quality that is common among Cornerstone People. However, because these families are hurt, they are often unable to see this in their children. On the other hand, Christian parents of these people often say that these children are their greatest teachers. When a parent is able to make such a statement, we are seeing scripture in 1Peter 2:7–"the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" – become a living reality. For no longer is the handicap a means of destruction, but rather a means of instruction. This is what happened with the cross of Jesus from a natural viewpoint: the cross should have destroyed Jesus. However, it was through the weakness of the cross that God chose to save us.