We were walking to the gym in the morning Florida sunshine, as is our regular Monday routine. My son \u2014 for those of you who don\u2019t know him \u2014 is this vivacious, articulate, musically-gifted 20 year old. There are days he claims to be a rap star. I just think of him as a star. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He happens to have Down syndrome, but no, it\u2019s not what defines him. I happen to be about 5\u20198\u201d, an avid sports enthusiast, and have a really weird birthmark that somehow resembles the combined landmass of Europe and Asia. None define me either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes he likes to still grab my hand while walking. It\u2019s a sweet thing. Sometimes, too, there is genuine need for directional help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On this recent day, we were a little early in our pursuit. Such caused the traffic to be a little fuller, most at the onset of their day. We came to a decently busy two-way stop, with the other road freely flowing. Let me try to help you envision the scenario a little better\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We stood still at the stop sign. A white sedan was stopped at the sign across the street, waiting to turn. The traffic between us was neighborhood-slow but also steady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In our neighborhood, which is sort of the bomb of nearby \u2018hoods, in my opinion \u2014 we do community well<\/em> \u2014 but consistent with our community desire to honor and care for, pedestrians always<\/em> have the right of way. That means stop sign or not, cars are encouraged to stop, allowing the walkers to proceed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But on this particular day, the cars that were coming from the free-flowing cross-street didn\u2019t slow to a point where I was comfortable stepping out into the street immediately with my son. I couldn\u2019t tell for certain that they were going to stop for me. And so instead of strolling right through the cross-section, I stopped. Josh and I paused for maybe an extra 2 seconds, possibly 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gentleman in the car waiting to turn reacted immediately. He honked. At me and Josh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now no doubt compared to all that\u2019s going on in the world today, this story pales in comparison. I agree. Yet knowing God cares about all things big and small and uses them to teach each of us in our every day, I couldn\u2019t help to just shake this story. I kept thinking about the man in the car, his reaction, and how when I made eye contact with him in his car \u2014 and his approximate 3 year old in the back seat \u2014 how he just glared. At me and Josh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friends, let\u2019s give him some grace. Really \u2014 no judgment. We\u2019ve all had moments when we\u2019ve chosen to honk. And no doubt several of us still adamantly insist that such was the exact right thing to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I keep thinking about one question\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n What did the man in the car not know?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What could he not see \u2014 what did he not realize \u2014 that prompted him to justify the honk? \u2026 the glare? \u2026 the clear impatience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n He couldn\u2019t see the needs of my son. He didn\u2019t know he sometimes struggles with directions and crossing streets. He\u2019s a 20 year old, growing young man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He couldn\u2019t tell that I was actively gauging the oncoming traffic. He couldn\u2019t tell that in my assessment, the cross traffic hadn\u2019t yet committed to stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he couldn\u2019t tell that we had zero intent to inconvenience him. We had no desire to impact him negatively. I was solely focused on the safety of my own kid \u2014 no doubt the same reason his kid sat protected in the car seat behind him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He and I were both protecting our kids. He and I both had places to go. The situations just looked a little different. We weren\u2019t in any competition with one another, but he couldn\u2019t tell that because our destinations differed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the question that comes back to me in yes, just a simple scenario, is: where do I honk?<\/em> … especially when the destinations differ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where do I justify glaring at another \u2014 and maybe still hang on to a mistaken judgment \u2014 <\/em>because I don\u2019t know what I don\u2019t know?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I love how God teaches us\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every day. In the ordinary. If we don\u2019t shake the stories too soon\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We were walking to the gym in the morning Florida sunshine, as is our regular Monday routine. My son \u2014 for those of you who don\u2019t know him \u2014 is this vivacious, articulate, musically-gifted 20 year old. There are days he claims to be a rap star. I just think of him as a star. … <\/p>\n