Sunday, September 30, 2012

Zach

Yesterday I went on a date with a special guy named Zach. Zach has autism, and that was all I knew about him before I spent the day with him at a go cart track. To be quite honest, I was excited, but very apprehensive about what this day had in store for me; but by the time we parted at the end of the day, my entire perspective of Zach had changed. We had a blast! Together we rode go carts, soaked each other with bumper boats, played like kids in the arcade, stuffed ourselves with sweets at Golden Corral, and ended the day singing Disney songs on the bus ride back to campus.
It was during this bus ride, though, that something went wrong -- not with him, but with me. Earlier that morning, I had texted a friend saying that I was going on a date with an autistic guy. I thought nothing of that text until the reply came -- just as Zach was holding my phone listening to my music. I didn't know I had a text until I saw Zach remove the phone from his ear and look at my screen. His happy countenance changed immediately, and he said, "That hurts." I took the phone from him, curious as to what this message said, and then my heart dropped to my toes. The text said, "So how did you end up on a date with an autistic guy? Does he like you as more than friends?" I looked at Zach, who was shuffling uncomfortably, then back at my phone, at a loss for words.
It was Zach who spoke first. "She just doesn't know me."
A spark of revelation flickered inside me. "That's right, Zach. She doesn't know you at all." I immediately began to text a reply to my friend. "He asked me to go on a dating outing with him just as friends. We had a blast! He is so much fun!!!" I showed the message to Zach, and he nodded his approval. After I sent it he asked me to send another. "Could you tell her that I'm only MILDLY autistic and that God has been gracious to me by making me less autistic than most autistic people?" I smiled and sent his message.
After that fiasco, I looked at him and said, "Zach, I want to thank you for asking me in this dating outing. You are my very good friend, and I can't think of a better, more fun person to go with to a go cart track."
He smiled. "You're my really good friend too."
That day will forever be etched in my memory. That was the day that Zach "the autistic guy" became Zach "the guy who knows EVERYTHING about comic books and video games", "the guy who loves America and isn't afraid to share his political views with any and all", "the guy who loves to have fun", "the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. of go cart racing", "the guy who can read a stack of novels in 30 minutes and be able to tell you all about them", "the guy who 'eats his money's worth' at Golden Corral", "the guy who knows every Disney song by heart (and has a mean Gaston impression)", "the guy that makes me laugh." Zach went from being "the autistic guy" to being my friend.
My judgment was clouded prior to yesterday, but Zach taught me that autism doesn't define a person. The more I pondered this concept, the more I realized that we as Christians do this so often -- not to people with autism, but to people with sin. We look at what people wear/say/do, and we immediately label them. We steer clear of them because we aren't like them. But if you will recall, you used to be like them; but praise God that He didn't judge you like you are judging others. He looked past your faults and died for you, and He wants you, in all your disease-ridden self, to be with Him always. Now look at those we judge. He wants to be with them always too. Can't we suck up our pride and love them instead of labeling them?