According to this person, who was making a judgment and casting the first stone, those who sin are disabled. If that’s the case, then why is only 1/4th  of the population of the world disabled instead of the whole world? It is said Jesus died for the sins of man. Why then are some living with a disability and some are not?

Job 5:18 For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.

Here’s another question: If this person’s statement is true, what sin did I have on the day of my birth? And no, I don’t buy into others who said, “Then it was the sins of the parents who caused your disability.”

It is true there were healings Jesus did. But these healings as told in the Bible were told for reasons. To better know Him he used people to make His point.

While others pass with disdain, Jesus stopped and talked with people with disabilities. To some, he did heal.

1 Corinthians 12:22-23 Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.

The body of the world seems to cast out those who are weaker, but Jesus saw their true potential. He works in mysterious ways at times, but to jump to conclusions, or pass your own judgment saying someone is disabled for a specific reason is not seeing His gift to you. When we are sick or suffering, do we not seek Him out more?

When we are healthy and all is going right, we tend to forget someone. He knows that.

I have a disability. And yes I have sin. But one does not lead to the other. Otherwise there would be a lot more people on Social Security Disability. I have a disability for a different reason, which has not fully been told to me, but a work in progress.

Guess what? When you feel good about yourself, everything else falls in place. Self-Esteem is about you, not about others. When you wake up and look in the mirror, do you think, oh, no another day at school? Well, crawl back in bed briefly and let’s start again.

When you look in the mirror stare past the reflection. View the good qualities you bring out every day. Choose to think positively. Wear clothes that are school appropriate, yet comfortable to you. When you show confidence in yourself, others will be asking how you do it.

Those that pick on you for your appearance are just trying to deflect their own insecurities. The ones they are trying to make you have. Stand proud today and the next. Wear your pride like black and gold or white and blue. Now is your Super Bowl of self-esteem. Grab the Lombardi trophy of attitude and stand proud!

Unfortunately, there is a big trend of not explaining differences. Watch social blogs or people in public and you can recognize those who get shocked for seeing people who are different from themselves. And it doesn’t even have to be a physical disability, it can be a different hair color or style, can be different clothing or more.

When the school bully, or others ridicule something just because they don’t understand it, the one it’s directed at can feel hurt, betrayed, let down, or more. It can really affect someone’s self-esteem.

When someone is constantly yelled at for doing no good or for constantly failing a class or work assignments, the self-esteem drops right off. It can cause a person to think they have no worth and that is when thoughts of suicide can creep in.

What’s really missing is, if in the instance, a student keeps failing, instead of railing on them, shouldn’t it be wiser to find out why they are failing, so you can find the solution and help them succeed?

Teens, you are the one who can take charge of your life. Each of us is our own individual and need to keep track of our emotions and communicate with others you care about and trust. I’ve read the book associated with the workbook I mention below. While it is not the only one out there, it is a good workbook to work through your thoughts and feelings to help bring a more positive uplifted self-esteem.

Next, more tips and tricks to raise your own self-esteem as well as those teenagers or peers in your life and community.

See larger image The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens Workbook (Paperback) By (author) Sean Covey List Price: $5.00 USD New From: $1.96 In Stock Used from: $1.42 In Stock

Being from Wisconsin, I looked up our numbers first.

• In 2006, Wisconsin ranked 8th in the nation for teen suicides.

When looking for more data, I found some for Florida.

• In 2008, Suicide was the 3rd leading cause of death for youth 15-24.

Troubling numbers to say the least. Especially when the global average is a suicide attempt every 40 seconds.

Enough with the numbers. Next, we’ll look into the why so we can better work together as a community to help our young adults find their self-esteem and worth.

If you are thinking about suicide or know someone who is, please seek help immediately. More information about teen suicide can be found at: http://www.teensuicide.us/

For 23 years, Ron Houben spent only talking to himself in his mind. The world around him thought he was in a coma. Yet, there are others we see who are among us who we treat as if they can not understand us either. They too are trapped in bodies with limited communication, most unwilling to take the time to stop and listen. You may hear the popular names of Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller, but there are others.

Each day we go speeding past these people is another day lost to the real details of life. Every person on the planet has a story, but it is the ones who live with the challenges society puts up that are the interesting ones. These are the stories that talk of invention, creativity, and the passion to move on.

Mistakes can be made (Adam L. and Lady G.), which affect many. Our choices each day help define who we are. Facing the challenges is a whole lot harder than taking the easy road. The rewards, though are much greater. So, the question is are you going to be flip about the world around you or are you going to face the mounting challenges and help yourself and others see its true beauty? Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I was a lonely little kid. It seemed like my parents really didn’t care for me. My family wasn’t like yours. Mine was a bunch of little kids, me being the oldest. My Uncle Rick was just like my real older brother, even though he lived far away. My uncle couldn’t always be there for me.

Times got bad in my parent’s relationship. They divorced and I moved in with my dad. My dad was never around. I swear that he must have worked a one hundred hour work week. He never ever had time for me.

Finally I met Bill. I had seen him around Green Bay before because he always hung out where my friends and I did. Well then I found out that he lived right down the hall in the apartments that my dad and I lived in. So I got to know him. Bill had a hard time to gain my trust, but somehow he did it and we bonded.

For those of you that do not know, Bill is handicapped. He is like a nineteen year old kid. He’s full of energy. Well all and all he is a kid in heart and soul.

For example, Bill and I went to his family’s house Easter weekend. Well things got real boring so Bill and I decided to take things in our own hands. So we grabbed the fishing poles and set out for the lake.

After about three hours of fishing, Bill caught the dock five times, me twice, and believe it or not he even managed to catch himself. I caught the shore about three times and then I caught the biggest tree bass that I had ever seen in my short little life. Then I saw a real live fish! Well almost alive. Hey it was the best thing that we caught all day.

By the end of the day I was so tired it was not even funny. Bill on the other hand wanted to go swimming and do plenty of other things still. Well what do you expect, I told you Bill is just like a kid. Well it’s for sure he has more energy than me.

So why is it then that when Bill and I walk down the streets to do something so normal as buying a soda that people look at us weird? People start to stare, gawk, laugh, and talk. It isn’t Bill’s fault that that’s how he looks. For a fact he was born that way.

After sitting at my moms work computer and wondering I think I know why we do the things we do when we see people like Bill. They are different. But Bill can do more things than half of us reading this article right now.

Bill can and has run a TV camera. Bill even has a newspaper article. Do you? Bill has done plenty of accomplishments in his long exciting life. So as far as I can see, Bill is only different because he can out do us with that thing we call a handicap. Bill has proven to all handicapped people that no matter what people say or do to cut you down, there is and will always be someone there to help you be all that you can be.

What if…it were that easy. Accommodations are not costly, nor hard to obtain, nor a bother. Enabling one, brings them in ten fold. Couldn’t your bottom line use a multiplication table like that?

With a depressive illness those feelings will be much worse and they don’t go away. A depressive illness will affect the whole body. It is an illness that affects one in five people during their lifetime. Ten to fourteen million people suffer from depression each year. It will not discriminate – it affects all ages, races and both genders. All is not lost, though. A depressive illness can be successfully treated in more than eighty percent of the people who have it.

Some of the symptoms of depression are: persistent sadness, anxious or “empty” mood; feelings of hopelessness, pessimism; loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that you once enjoyed, including sex; insomnia or oversleeping; thoughts of death or suicide; physical symptoms like headaches, digestive disorders and chronic pain that do not respond to treatment.

If you have a depressive illness, you are in famous company. Ernest Hemingway, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), Virginia Woolf, George Frederic Handel, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman all had a depressive illness. Some famous people living with a depressive illness are: Peter Gabriel, Axl Rose, Ted Turner, Robin Williams, Roseanne Arnold, and Mike Wallace.

Winston Churchill named his depression “Black Dog”, a metaphor that speaks volumes. It fits depression well. While the dog may bite every now and then, he’s still only a dog. He can be cajoled sometimes and locked up other times.

Whenever you have a problem, it is always best to seek support. Depression is not something to be ashamed of and it is not a character flaw or a sign of weakness. You don’t have to wear a mask to hide it. Most depression is caused from a chemical imbalance in the body. If depression persists more than two weeks, get checked by a doctor.

I talked with Dr. Michael O’Neill, a clinical Psychiatrist, to find out how depression is treated.

“For most people diagnosed with a mood disorder, medications are usually prescribed. In some cases, medication is combined with counseling. In other cases, counseling is all that is needed.”

When asked how depression affects a person’s life, he replied, “Most carry on their lives very well.”

Most people that suffer a depressive illness will have one episode. Only fifty percent of those people will have a second. People who have Recurrent Disorders will be able to control the depression with medication and counseling, but like the name says, the depression will recur.

During depression, thoughts of suicide are possible. Some possible signs someone is thinking of suicide are: talking, writing or hinting about suicide; previous attempts; giving away possessions; sudden change from extreme depression to being at peace (may indicate that they have decided to attempt suicide). If you are a friend or family member or know someone who has expressed thoughts of suicide, get help immediately. This is a cry for help! Fifteen percent of people who suffer depression will commit suicide.

The most important thing anyone can do for the depressed person is to help them get appropriate diagnosis and treatment. DO NOT tell them to “snap out of it”. A depressive illness is not something you can just get over.

What makes this so special or different from any other Miss America Pageants? Heather Whitestone lost most of her hearing after a reaction to a diphtheria-tetanus shot when she was 18 months old. Many have praised her for going the distance, but Heather said at the competition, “Everything is possible.”

Throughout history, many people with disabilities have risen above the ranks. Which is not surprising because one in five people have a disability. These disabilities range from physical disabilities to less “visible” ones like learning disabilities.

Most everyone knows Chris Burke and Andrea Friedman from “Life Goes On”. Both actors have Down Syndrome and mild learning disabilities. Lou Ferrigno and Maralee Matalin are both deaf actors. Steve Wonder, Ray Charles, and Roy Orbison just scratch the surface of famous people who are blind.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the most powerful president in U.S. history and he was a polio survivor. Whenever he gave a speech, he almost always did it without his wheelchair. He also ignored the Secret Service about driving his own car. Someone that no one can forget is Helen Keller. She became blind and deaf from a disease in infancy. She learned to communicate with hand-in-hand sign language.

One of my favorite television shows of all time is M*A*S*H. If you look carefully at some of the episodes you can see that Gary Berghoff (Radar) had a smaller left hand and that he would always try to hide it in each episode. Alan Alda (Hawkeye) is said to be a Polio survivor. William Christopher (Father Mulcahy) has an autistic son and he and his wife are very active in the Autism Society of America.

“Come to the dark side, Luke”, Darth Vadar’s voice was done by James Earl Jones who has a stuttering disability. Famous country singer and “Cannonball Run” star Mel Tillis also has a stuttering disability.

I really liked the way the show “MacGyver” used the real life disability of Dana Elkar. He was affected by glaucoma and instead of writing him off the show, they used it on the show. Make-believe imitating real life, go figure.

Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Cruise both have Dyslexia. Nancy Reagan has or had Cancer (Not sure if it’s all gone or not). Danny Glover has epilepsy.

Peter Falk has an artificial eye. Dudley Moore was born with a club foot. Race car driver, Mario Andretti is a diabetic. Florence Henderson (Mrs. Brady) was born with spina bifida. And the list goes on.

For the most part, these people were made famous by their achievements, not their disabilities. They put their best efforts forward and reached for their dreams. The odds of making a list like this are better, one in five, than getting struck by lightning. Just ask Benjamin Franklin.

Remember: Everything is possible!

Originally written: September 1994, Bill Micklitz