The 4 Hour Footnote

Last week I had to go to Iowa State to return some books I got through their Inter-Library Loan program, and also photocopy a couple articles. I parked where I normally do at the lot where you can take a bus to campus. It was then that I realized it was the first day of the new semester at ISU. I couldn't take Thomas on a bus packed with students with no seat belts and all my books and his diaper bag. So, I walked from the bus lot up to the library with Thomas in the stroller. 30 minutes and a handful of funny looks later we finally got to the library. First, I tried to go the ILL office to return my books, except there were no ramps for the stroller. I tried several routes and finally just carried Thomas in his stroller down the stairs to the office. I returned the books and made my way back to the main floor so I could photocopy the articles. About this time, Thomas started to get fussy and hungry. So I made my way through a study area of the library to a bathroom. Of course, there were no changing tables there, and there wasn't much room for a stroller and all the other paraphernalia I had. Finally, I got Thomas calmed down enough to take him back out in the library. I made my way to the elevator to go down to floor 1B and get the book with the article I needed, but first I had to stop at a computer and get the call#. So, with one hand holding Thomas and one hand typing one key at a time I got the call# I needed. With no hands free to write it down, I just remembered it. I finally got downstairs and got the book, but there were no copiers on floor 1B. I went back up to the main floor where the copier was out of order. The sign said use the copier on the 3rd floor. So I went back to the elevator and up to the 3rd floor to copy the article. Unfortunately, when I got up there I realized I was in a "Quite Zone" of the library and the copier was right in the middle. Thomas wasn't fussy anymore, but he wanted to play and hear himself talk and yell. This presented a problem. I huddled close to the elevator and tried to set Thomas down in the stroller so I could flip to the article I needed in the book. He erupted into tears, so I picked him back up and tried to get to the article with one hand. I finally found it and tried to get Thomas quieted down enough to make my way to the copier without disrupting all the students in the "Quiet Zone". I had to leave the stroller over by the elevator, and when I got over to the copier I realized I left my change in the stroller. I went back and got the change, and Thomas started making noise again. After about 5 minutes he quieted down again and I made my way back to the copier. I got 2 pages copied and he started yelling, so I went back out of the Quiet Zone and tried to calm him again. Finally, I just decided it didn't matter and I copied the article even though he was making a lot of noise and tried not to make eye contact with any of the annoyed students. We finished, and made our way out of the library, and walked back to the car. I had left for ISU around 8 and it was well after noon by the time I got back. The sad part is that all I needed the article was for one little footnote in my dissertation.

This would have been a quick, insignificant little thing to accomplish if I had been an average ISU student who lives on campus and has no children. But I was not the typical student, and I was repeatedly reminded of that fact the entire time I spent at ISU. Things were designed for the average student, and I was an exception to the rule. This caused me to ask a question: How do the systems and programs we set-up in church for the average churchgoer feel to those who are exceptional? Jesus said,

"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED."

Jesus came for the exceptions to the rule. Lord help the church to be a place where all can come and meet with you regardless of how they fit into the mold of our "target audience".