You can learn a lot about a person in a 10-minute conversation on a golf cart cruising over dusty trails amid thousands of other music festival-goers in 90-plus-degree heat.
If you offer a smile and friendly hello, many will share the challenges they face in their daily lives because of their disabilities. And they also will graciously tell you how much your service means to them in a world that can be fairly unkind to those with disabilities.
My family and I -- 10 of us in total -- again volunteered to drive the free shuttles for those with disabilities at a local country music festival known as WE Fest last week, our second year.
Full transparency: It’s a tall order, as the number of people with disabilities in a crowd of 25,000 is larger than most realize. And there are the long hours, the heat, large crowds and the urgency everyone feels.
But what grows my heart as a dad is the stories that each of my family members tell at the end of an 18-hour day of driving.
The stories of a man with Down’s Syndrome excited to be at his first WE Fest; those with mobility issues who can’t traverse the large event grounds; others who recently underwent an unexpected medical procedure and need assistance getting around.
We all develop our favorite riders, and I love to see who our family forms bonds with. I find it fascinating.
Not everyone we encounter over the four days is rosy, of course. I guess it comes with the nature of serving other humans. Hey, are any of us at our best 365 days a year? I’m sure there are forces that have shaped each of those folks, and it’s our challenge to remember that they too are a beloved child of God. A good lesson for each of us, even when you’re tired.
Another lesson I’ve learned in our two years of service is that while we don’t realize it, a majority of us are privileged to be able to move freely about and not to have to worry what challenges will impede you from going where you want to go.
We don’t have to constantly wonder whether the place we’re going is accessible, whether our scooter will be allowed through security, whether we’ll be able to see at an event or even if I’ll be able to take care of my basic bodily needs.
But for many who do have disabilities, this is a daily challenge.
I’m not an expert by any means, but I can tell you that having the privilege to serve the past two years has been a tremendous learning experience for me. And I was reminded again this year that the only true way to get to know Jesus is through your neighbor, even the ones with disabilities. Amen.
Devlyn Brooks is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and serves Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He blogs about faith at findingfaithin.com, and can be reached at [email protected].