A Theory

I’m grateful to live where I live.

Lots of reasons. Great weather, mountains, amazing bike paths. But I’m especially grateful that my community goes above and beyond to make it easy for me to get around. There aren’t many places I cannot go because of my wheelchair.

It might seem sort of self-centered, but I’m pretty sure that by making things easier for people like me, the community becomes a better place for everyone.

It’s a theory I used as a teacher. If you start out organizing around and thinking about those who might struggle, things have a way of working out pretty well for everyone.

On the other hand, if you plan everything for the “normal” people (whatever that means) this funny thing happens. You end up confusing “needs” and “preferences.” Because preferences have a way of becoming “rights”…

And while you’re fussing about the demands of “what people want,” a whole bunch of folks who really need help…end up getting left out.

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Of course I’m going to apply this to the FREEDOM TOUR CLASSIC.

We try really hard to create a community ride where everyone can have a lot of fun. We want to be accessible to as many people as possible.

We’ve learned that when you design around the broadest possible needs, it’s relatively simple to include more elite preferences.

Doesn’t work the other way around.

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When Jesus asked us to think first about the least of these, I suspect it was about something bigger than charity. My classroom experience, and my experience as a wheelchair user, suggests communities work better for everyone when they’re designed more around universal needs and less around individual preferences.

I wonder if He was telling us about how we were created. I wonder if He was saying that by caring for the least of these, we end up organizing a better society for everyone.