There is a Farmer who has an olive tree. Imagine a tough, beautiful, and mighty in stature. It has numerous branches with many dark green, leathery leaves. The Farmer, He loves this tree. He created it, so He knew it would be built to last. Over time, He noticed that some of its natural branches broke off. Day by day, night by night, year after year, more beautiful branches would fall off. The Farmer knew of the problem(s), and He already had a solution to solve it. He took branches of a wild olive tree, and He began to graft those branches into the tree. His solution was unpopular and instantly inconceivable to many.
“Natural” vs. “Unnatural”
How could grafting something “wild,” “different,” “unpredictable,” “menacing,” or “unnatural” save this beautiful olive tree? If You do this, it won’t be the same, and it won’t be any better. These people, with their wild notions, were not real farmers or THE Farmer. He knew that by grafting in the wild branches, He would create something new and even more beautiful that would serve a greater purpose. It is a purpose that would surpass the imagination of man.
Who is this story about? God and His people. What is this story about? A people who rejected (their own) the One who came to save, and another group of people who embraced Him with great faith. I borrowed this story, so I would be remiss not to give credit to Whom it’s due. Why am I sharing this? Because this is connected one way or another to what I aim to do. Let’s take this story – and apply it to the Human Services field catering special populations.
A Collective Group to Graft
The tree represents a collective group of people whose passion is to serve. The natural branches are people who once believed but went astray due to vast unmitigated circumstances within the field. They saw the situation as hopeless and left. The wild branches are the individuals diagnosed with ID/A. Graft them in! A person with ID/A working with others who are like them? Why not!?
If you haven’t noticed by now, I am a believer. I’m not perfect, but I try my best to walk in His ways that would glorify Jesus. I believe he provided us a solution to help cultivate the field (Human Services) so that it may produce good fruits. There are many stories of those who defied the odds and used their disability to bring encouragement to others – ID/A or not. Some notables are Joe Steffy of “Poppin Joe’s Gourmet Kettle Korn,” Lorretta Claiborne, Artist Ash of “AutisticAF,” and 2 of my favorites – my brothers (of course) Kambel and Kantia Smith of “Autisarian Network.” All these individuals are more than capable of impacting anyone within the industry and even more within their own communities. So…graft them in!