God Answered our Prayers

When I was in Bangladesh, I learned a beautiful lesson. After I had given a conference for a group of parents and friends of people with disabilities, a man got up. He said, "I have a son, Vincent, who has a severe disability. He was a beautiful child when he was born, but at six months he had a terribly high fever which brought on convulsions. It affected his brain and his nervous system. Now, at sixteen, he has a severe mental disability. He cannot walk, or talk, or eat by himself. My wife and I suffered a lot. We prayed to God to heal our Vincent. And God answered our prayer, but not in the way that we expected. He has not healed Vincent, but he has changed our hearts. He has filled my wife and myself with joy at having a son like him." Reality is not always changed. But by a gift of God our barriers and preconceived ideas fall, and doors are opened within us.
- Jean Vanier, Our Journey Home, p. 166