One morning last January, a Baptist preacher with a church in a Washington suburb was driving through the city when he was approached by two women.  The preacher hesitated when they came up to his window, begging for a ride. But then, the Rev. Ronald Austin said yes. It was a cold morning, after all. And his parishioners say their preacher is a generous man who finds it difficult to turn away need.

Of course, it’s no surprise what happened next. One of the women produced a knife and stabbed the preacher. He scrambled out of the car, but found himself still entangled in his seat belt. The women took off anyway, and Ronald Austin was dragged at high speed for five blocks, the tire constantly rolling over his foot. Finally, one of the women cut the belt and left him lying in the street. He was road-burned, scraped and gashed, his left foot a chunk of raw meat. Doctors had to amputate his foot. 

Recently the reverend returned to the pulpit of Spirit of Peace Baptist Church in Capitol Heights, Md. A newspaper account depicted him as transcendent and triumphant, hopping about, crying joy to the rafters. Know what he said? “I have one leg! Thank you, God!” 

That’s the part that stays with me. 

Here’s a man made unwhole, incomplete, by an act of useless evil. He ought to be whispering in bitterness. Instead, he’s shouting in gratitude. Thank you, God, for what we no longer have. Thank you, for what I still do. 

Is it so difficult to make the leap from his life to ours? 

We are all incomplete, after all. Whether it be physical, financial, intellectual, emotional, or spiritual, we’re all missing something. Spend our days looking for that final piece of life-puzzle that stands between us and the finished state of which we dream. 

Human nature, isn’t it? Only normal that we rush about seeking to fill the hole, close the gap, bridge the distance...become complete. It’s a need as primal as a baby crying for its mother, one that pokes itself through in sentences that begin with ,”If only...” 

Then a man with one leg blesses the Maker for leaving him that much, and if it doesn’t give you pause, well maybe it should. 

For me, it raises the question: When is enough enough? When do you get to feel complete or at least make peace with the idea that completeness might never come?
 
It seems as if we’re always straining toward the next horizon, always striking bargains with God for tomorrow’s gifts, always waiting on something which is yet to come. 

“I need a new Nintendo, and then I’ll be happy.” 

“Once my folks get back together, then life will be great." 

“After that good looking girl in my math class says she’ll go out with me, things will be perfect.” 

It never ends, does it?  There’s always something more... The Nintendo becomes outdated by a Game Cube. Your folks never get back together. The girl picks her nose. 

So, you look with awe upon the incomplete man who doesn’t feel or seem incomplete at all. Who gazes upon what life has given him and sings a song of morning joy. 

We spend our lives striving to be complete, and this will never change. But sometimes, isn’t it good, just to just stop, just pause in the fullness of the moment and stillness of grace. 

If a man with one leg can cry in happiness, what excuse is there, really, for a man who has two?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read each of the following questions thoughtfully. Check the story for the correct answers. Thenk look for the correct answer among the choices.  If the correct answer is not one of the choices, write it on the blank line.

___1. In this passage, the word parishioners means-- 

A. attackers 
B. family 
C. ____________________________ 
D. dividers 

___2. This article leads you to believe that the author-- 

A.________________________________________________________________ 
B. would like to slow down to enjoy life more. 
C. thinks Rev. Ronald Austin was not too smart. 
D. could walk as well as any man after he got his artificial leg. 
 

___3. Which of these statements is a opinion expressed in the article? 

A. One of the women stabbed the preacher with a knife. 
B. He ought to be whispering in bitterness. 
C. It is better to have one leg and be thankful than to have two and never count our blessings. 
D.________________________________________________________________ 

___4. In this passage, the word amputate means-- 

A._________________________________________________________________ 
B. put it in a cast 
C. apply medicine 
D. be thankful for 
 

___5. The main reason the author wrote this editorial was to-- 

A. help people who have lost a leg. 
B. encourage people to be thankful for what they’ve got. 
C.________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 
D. make people feel bad for wanting more and more. 
 
 

___6. The preacher’s leg was hurt most by -- 

A. getting slammed in the door as the women drove off. 
B. getting stabbed. 
C. the infection that set in after the accident. 
D.________________________________________________________________ 

___7. You can tell that the author believes that -- 

A._______________________________________________________________ 
B. people who are complete are happy. 
C. he will never be complete. 
D. to be really happy, you have to lose a leg. 
 

___8. What is the main idea of the editorial? 

A. A man who stopped to help two women lost his leg when they took his car. 
B.________________________________________________________________ 
C. People who never try to get more than they have are the smartest. 
D. Some people can be happy about anything. 
 
 

In the following questions, read the question thoughtfully. Check the story for the correct answer. Then, choose the correct answer among the choices.
 

___1. In this passage, the word parishioners means-- 

A. attackers 
B. family 
C. people in a church 
D. dividers 
 

___2. This article leads you to believe that the author-- 

A. thinks people are selfish. 
B. would like to slow down to enjoy life more. 
C. thinks Rev. Ronald Austin was not too smart. 
D. could walk as well as any man after he got his artificial leg. 

___3. Which of these statements is a opinion expressed in the article? 

A. One of the women stabbed the preacher with a knife. 
B. He ought to be whispering in bitterness. 
C. It is better to have one leg and be thankful than to have two and never count our blessings. 
D. Doctors had to amputate Rev. Austin’s foot. 
 

___4. In this passage, the word amputate means-- 

A. cut off 
B. put it in a cast 
C. put medicine on it 
D. be thankful for 
 

___5. The main reason the author wrote this editorial was to-- 

A. help people who have lost a leg. 
B. encourage people to be thankful for what they’ve got. 
C. remind drivers not to pick up strangers. 
D. make people feel bad for wanting more and more. 
 

___6. The preacher’s leg was hurt most by -- 

A. getting slammed in the door as the women drove off. 
B. getting stabbed. 
C. the infection that set in after the accident. 
D. getting run over by the tire. 
 

___7. You can tell that the author believes that -- 

A. someday, he will be complete because he will have everything he wants. 
B. people who are complete are happy. 
C. he will never be complete. 
D. to be really happy, you have to lose a leg. 

___8. What is the main idea of the editorial? 

A. A man who stopped to help two women lost his leg when they took his car. 
B. Even when bad things happen and even when we don’t get everything we want, we can find things to be happy about. 
C. People who never try to get more than they have are the smartest. 
D. Some people can be happy about anything.