In 1880 Helen Keller was born.

Helen Keller was born as a normal baby. But in February of 1882, at nineteen months old, she became very sick. No one knew what was wrong, and, for a while, everyone expected her to die. When the fever went down, the family, and the doctor thought Helen would be fine. They soon learned, however, that the sickness had left their precious baby blind and deaf.

How terrible that must have been! Then Helen’s parents had to care for her, and that became almost impossible. She became a very difficult child, smashing dishes and lamps, screaming, and throwing temper tantrums. Relatives thought Helen should be put into an institution.

When Helen was six, her family had become desperate. After a visit to a specialist, they were told she would never see or hear again but were told not to give up hope. The doctor believed Helen could be taught, and he advised them to visit a local expert on the problems of deaf children. This expert was Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.

Eventually, they were put in touch with Anne Sullivan, who, through a long and difficult process, taught Helen how to communicate. Read more of this amazing story on-line or watch the award-winning film, “The Miracle Worker.”

Helen Keller proves that every life is valuable, even those who we think have no possible use in society. How much hope, for example, could anyone have for a baby who couldn’t see or hear? Yet Helen Keller went on to write, teach, and inspire millions with her story.

So don’t give up on anyone. See each person as a valuable creation of God and treat him or her as such. And who knows, God may surprise you with what he will do with that life.

Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. (1 Corinthians 1:27)

To Do

Think of the physically challenged people you know: a kid with muscular dystrophy, a man with a hearing problem, a neighbor who can’t see very well, and so forth. Take time this week to have a good conversation with one of them.

Also on this day . . .

1829—Mildred J. Hill composed the “Happy Birthday to You” melody.

1955—The state of Illinois enacted the first automobile seat belt legislation.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005).