If there is one commodity that the entire world is looking for it is true happiness.  The list of books written on the subject of how to obtain some aspect of happiness is staggering.  Seeking to be happy is one of man’s most basic desires. Even our US Constitution acknowledges this as one of our inalienable rights – “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. 

Written by Taylor Fitch - 15 Year Old Miss Greater Carolina Teen.

     Children are so honest, so pure. They see little difference in people. They do not see skin color, social status, or physical ailments. To them, all are equal and all are to be accepted. Each of us started out as a child. All of us had the same point of view and we believed in equality. Then, we grew up and our perspectives became tainted. Suddenly physical differences were all we saw and beginning in middle school, social status became one of the biggest parts of our lives. “All men are created equal” is no longer valid, even though we smile and nod every time it is heard.
      I am Taylor Hanna Fitch, Miss Greater Carolina Teen. I am fifteen years old and a rising sophomore at Anderson Christian School. This is part of my story and the story of so many children.
     The older we get, the more our generations lose hold of our childlike perspectives. This is something I truly regret. A child’s simplicity is amazing. Yes, we are all glad when we loose our lisps and the funny pajamas; but I hate that we all had to lose our point of view, the one that allows us to see every being as a treasure from God.
     I grew up volunteering at my mom’s office. She is a pediatric Physical Therapist, and treats children with a variety of diagnoses. As a child I played with all the children and they were my best friends. Nothing changed for me as I got older, but it did for some of my friends at school. They could not understand why I wanted to hang out with the “kids with problems.” I would get so mad at them. All I wanted was for my school friends to see them as I did, as just kids.
     I watched as the children at my mom’s office struggled and not with just their physical disabilities, but with their stereotypes and labels as well. Why were people so cruel? Why couldn’t they just accept my friends? I knew God had a purpose for each of their lives and I often saw Him working, but the others could not. They had become blind to the miracles of the children I worked with.
     I began to dream of my future as I entered middle school. I dreamed of being an NSA agent, a medical student at Duke University, a dancer on Broadway, and a model. (I soon realized I couldn’t do it all.) Then a revelation hit me, one as obvious as the air we breathe - disabled children and youth have dreams too! Dreams of becoming actresses or dancers or basketball players. Dreams of being able to stand alone or take their first steps. I did not care what the dream was, because I was going to do everything in my power to help these dreams became possibilities, and what I couldn’t do, God could. That old Bible verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, never loses its power.
    In my fifteen years, I’ve seen my “disabled children” reach heights which friends, family, and doctors alike claimed impossible! I saw a girl with Spina Bifida become a dancer. Jake played baseball despite his Spastic Diplegia. And Jonathan, a preemie diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy who was not supposed to survive, is now a preacher. He travels from South Carolina to Virginia, Tennessee, and even Mexico. Rolling from state to state in his power-wheelchair, he is spreading God’s message of hope that can be a reality.
     I could not be more proud. If I could, I would stand on top of the world and scream “Look what God did! You said these children were worthless, you said they would amount to nothing. Does this look like nothing to you?” I look at them and see God’s handy work. And maybe we are wrong; maybe it’s not so great to be “normal” after all. All I know is I see that God took special care in creating them and making plans for their lives. I see their smiles; I know heaven is in a child’s smile. They have something we do not and that more than makes them special. But to God our Father everyone is special, it’s just we were each given different qualities and gifts. Jesus loved the little children. I believe He loved their simplicity and innocence. He told us to be like the children. Why can’t we go back to the point of view that “all men are created equal” in God’s eyes. There is a plan for each child’s future. Jeremiah 29:11 proves that. God is going to make something of them, disabled or not. Never underestimate the dreams of a child.

One of the primary realities overheard in the New Testament is a heart-felt concern that those who claim Christ are indeed truly converted not only for their sake but for the sake of the gospel itself. For example, Paul expressed his genuine concern for the believers at Thessalonica with particular reference to their spiritual well-being which was no doubt grounded not only in his love for them but in his love for the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 3:1-5).

Religious freedom must extend to all and in all or it is not religious freedom at all. The fact that there is debate over the issue of whether or not military chaplains, or anyone else for that matter, can pray according to their own consciences is a sign of the New America in which we find ourselves. The “land of the free” is fast becoming the “land of the free as long as no one is offended.” There are bright spots from time to time, but those bright spots are not without a flicker akin to a flashlight with a dying battery.

Christian leaders, of all people, should be held accountable for the things they say. Those things must be biblical from an evangelical perspective and they must be honest from anyone’s perspective. And yet, exercising caution when it comes to critiquing certain evangelical leaders is generally the wise course of action. However, there are some statements in particular contexts that eventually demand a response. Such is the case with Pat Robertson.

Depending upon who is doing the talking, the religious right is a term used in a variety of ways to describe a number of persons and/or ideas. To most, the religious right is that block of individuals who seemingly take a conservative stance on issues of the day and is generally credited with launching President Bush into his second term in office. The values voter is typically lumped into this group resulting in the appearance of one massive group committed to the same ideals. Some view this group as mainstream, some as religious zealots, and some simply see them as a minor nuisance. They have been referred to as neo-cons and theo-cons and indeed a whole lot more.