"In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Phil 4:6
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Pray For More Compassionate People
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The following contents may be quite long, but it does depict the some aspects of this present society as I shared from my own personal true-life experiences which may be encountered or have been noticed by many of you.
I was born with some minor defects in my eyes and although doctors have constantly commented that basically, my eyesight is generally okay and I could function like a able-bodied person, the existence of the minor defects of my eyes have led to acquaintances and strangers labelling my as 'partially blind'. However, I am not offended by this term and also I do not 'blame' God or anyone for this physical problem. On the other hand, I am thankful to Him for giving me a good education, a career, caring parents and nice friends. By being 'partially blind', I am able to see and feel the other negative aspect of society. Almost everyday, when I was walking along the road or doing shopping or other things in the public places, there are some people who will either walk, stand or look away whenever I am around. I commute by bus to work every day and usually board the bus from the bus interchange. When some commuters saw me at the bus booth waiting for the bus, they either stand at a distance or do not line up behind me even though they are taking the same bus. After boarding the bus, some commuters will sit away from me. There is one bus passenger who normally takes the same bus as me will frequently remark to some other bus passengers that I pretend to see clearly. Likewise, another bus passenger will sometimes comment in front of other bus passengers that 'this partially blind lady has reached her destination, but she still take her own sweet time to alight the bus'. The true fact is that I do not want to rush boarding or alighting the bus and will rather let others alight bus if necessary. Previously, when there are times that I hasten my speed to alight the bus, but do not 'bump' against any other passengers, I will hear comments that 'this lady is partially blind and she still rush down the bus'. Either way, I will hear some biased remarks. Nevertheless, I have learnt to do things according to my conveniences and not just to please anyone. Another type of happening takes place inside retail outlets such as departmental stores. For example, there are times when I am browsing some clothings inside boutiques or departmental stores, the attitude of some sales staff is unfriendly and there are a few instances when I heard comments such as 'She has no money to buy' or 'She cannot see clearly and of course, I do not want to serve her'. I have also received some unfair treatment by some neighbours whom I know that they do not like me without any valid reason, except due to my eye problems. Some of them simply do not like to take the same lift with me. They are some who have commented to other neighbours that I am proud. The logic is that if they know that my eyesight is not that good, how could they describe me with this adjective. Isn't it illogical to call a 'partially visually impaired' person proud. Nevertheless, my conscience is clear. By nature, I am a cheerful person who normally will smile at tpeople, but there are many times that whenever I smile at some neighbours, they will just look away and there is one incident whereby I overheard a neighbour asking his husband why 'the partially blind is smiling'. What a dilemma! If I smile, some people just ignore and if I do not smile, some people will remark that I am proud. Despite all these unreasonable neighbours, I am glad to know some nice neighbours who are understanding, friendly or will call me whenever they saw me. It is true that sometimes I do feel unfair or unhappy whenever I am mistaken by others for no reason or no faults of mine. I really empathise with those visually impaired people or other disabled people who may have experienced the same me. However, I am thankful that I am His precious child and I could fully draw on His gift of inner strength and peace to overcome any negative feelings regardless of hurts, disappointments or inferior complex. No doubt, I do yearn for a complete healing of my eyes and I am praying along this area. Furthermore, I am also praying for His direction in seeking counselling from the right counsellor who is able to truly understand the inner struggles and feelings which I am experiencing. So, to all my brothers and sisters-in-Christ, let's continue to be compassionate to others and pray for more compassionate people to extend the genuine love, concern and understanding towards each other, not only the able-bodied people, but also the disabled people. In His Love
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Stare by GC, 2001, Jul 16
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