“We need to meet you right away at the hospital.”
When I hear those words, I will never forget the emotions in my body. Our daughter was only 5 weeks old and was diagnosed with a rare genetic syndrome.
We were handed a ridiculous stack of paper describing a seemingly endless list of complexity in the heart, brain and kidney defects. Can’t eat orally and swallow it. Vision impaired; cognitive delay; inability to walk or speak. Spine symptom; Drug-resistant epilepsy.
And we were dramatically affected by all of these diagnoses. But we fell in love with someone.
The smile and presence of her daughter Avonley exudes sunlight in every room. She brings peace to her arms fortunate enough to hold her. She speaks love without being able to say words.
Despite one in four living with disabilities, before Avonlea I had surprisingly little experience in that community. I never thought I would really miss the world’s largest minority group.
Avonley gave me a vision of the periphery to those and families who are marginalized even in our society and churches. More than that, I have come to see the understanding of biblical obstacles as great news.
The more you witness the intrinsic value of all people, the more free you can rest in the hope of interdependence between the gospel and the people of God, regardless of what they can do.
The obstacles tell us all great news in at least six ways.
1. Disability is not a shame or a punishment.
In John 9, Jesus walks by the blind man. His disciples asked, “What about this man or his parents, the rabbis who made him a sin that he was born blind?” Jesus replied, “This man may not have sinned or his parents committed sin, but God’s work may be shown to him” (Verse 2-3, my emphasis) .
Jesus is surprisingly clear. Disability is not caused by someone else’s direct sin. That’s not embarrassing even if it’s punishment.
Christianity traces all the defects on Earth, including genetic mutations, accidents, colds, fractures, learning disabilities, addictions, and more, in the first rebellion in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:16-24, Romans 8:20-22).
All human bodies are always on the verge of corruption and death. Even Jesus was exposed to the curse of death. His body had limitations. It bleed, broke, died.
At the same time, Genesis 3 leaves behind a reason why people with disabilities are being treated painfully and unfairly. Human rebellion against God is the reason why there is social sin in our world. It is the force that makes obstacles more difficult. We value money. Convenience. Return on investment. Results. intelligence. Athletic ability. Personal contributions. Similarity. Beauty. pride. Self-sufficiency.
For many people with disabilities, disability is normal. What often appears to be incapable of enduring obstacles is the inaccessibility, inequality and cutting of society.
But no one is more broken than others. Some people need more accommodation and more medical intervention to access what’s made in this world. However, while your body and mind may be limited, your soul is not limited.
All people have not reached the perfection of God (Romans 3:23) and are struggling to recover. Everything has an equal need for Jesus to heal our souls from what separates us from God.
2. God is sovereignty over obstacles.
In Exodus 4, Moses challenges God. “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent because I spoke to the past or your servant, but I am slow in speech and tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who is the man? Did you make a mouth for him? Who will mute him, deaf or see him, or blind? Isn’t it me?” (verses 10-11).
Poem sal139 confirms this. “You formed an inward part of me. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am terrified and wonderfully made. ” (verses 13-14).
This is the rope of truth that I have been bound white for most of my life. There is no part of our lives that God is not regulated.
When the long list of my daughter’s diagnosis overwhelmed me, the poems after the poem remind me that I will not pass through his loving, caring hands without his permission. Like the seas, lands, snow and creatures that God establishes “gates” and “ways” in Job (14:5, 38:4-6, 9-11, 22-33), Avonley’s blindness, seizures , and low muscle tones are all permitted by his boundaries. He said yes to all of it.
And not because he likes to watch people suffer. In fact, the Bible says that he collects all of our tears and feels deeply with us in our suffering (Psalm 34:18, 56:8, 147:3, Isaiah 57:15, 61 : 1-2, Lament 3:31-33). Whether the disability occurred due to birth, accident, or illness, God ordained it.
From Joseph to John the Baptist to Jesus, the Bible holds the story after a story in which God utilizes painful circumstances for a much greater good (Genesis 50:20).
3. God has a great plan through obstacles. (Notwithstanding.)
In the uniquely created experience of human disabilities, God prepares the way to his beauty. Paul said: “We were His finish, and created for a good work in Christ Jesus. God prepared us in advance that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2) :10).
These paths include those who cannot talk, read or eat. In fact, Jesus makes it clear that he does not need the most influential, capable or intelligent man to praise him. They were surprised. And they realized that they were with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
Be aware of who Jesus spends his time with. That includes exiled people, children, and unruly. This lifts my mind, scrambles and sweats around the world, and says I need more education, money, status and talent. It was not a powerful, noble birth. But God chose stupid things in the world to be ashamed of wise. God chose the weakest in the world to shame the strong ones” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27).
God’s currency for precious things is in stark contrast to our world.
4. God can restore wholeness without physical healing.
Disabled friends are guilty of whether many people have more faith than they are healed, or, as suggested by the friend of the Job, they have not invaded any kind of invasion to prevent physical healing. He told me he must have. Certainly, God must withhold from them.
These are part of religious damage and non-Bible lies.
The second Samuel 9 speaks of Jonathan’s son Mephiboches. Due to King David’s loving kindness and loyalty to the promise he made to Jonathan, he invited Mephiboches to the palace as part of David’s royal family.
Mephibosheth’s community, honor and status have been restored, but his obstacles have not been erased. It is a beautiful Old Testament story pointing to Jesus, the descendants of David, and his future kingdom. It’s a story about acceptance in God’s family, not our own merit.
Jesus often healed his body. He is able to heal them today. But even Lazarus, all those whom Jesus healed, ultimately died. Healing their bodies was not his ultimate goal. In fact, when a man lowered his disabled friend through the roof, Jesus’ healing was first and foremost a healing to the man’s heart. 2:5).
Jesus’ temporary physical healing demonstrates that He is God, brings glory to himself, brings people back to his community, and for the alienated people who are often excluded from places of honor and connection. It showed the value of.
When Jesus himself was seen in hundreds of people, it is still wounded of his death (John 20:27)! To make the whole he didn’t have to be physically whole.
In our western world, where we almost always expect to be healed with amazing medical advances, God is more than in the way he supports us than in how he heals us. It may give you glory.
5. It is expected that he will suffer in this world. It’s a gift.
Our culture avoids suffering at any cost. A “blessed” life is recognized as having a wealth of money, health, success and a painting-worthy life of family. But if you place the star in your suffering with every poem, your Bible will be covered. Jesus’ mother was considered to be favored by God (Luke 1:28, 48), but she was also “stabbed” by multiple tragedys (2:35).
Suffering is inevitable. But in this we experience God’s gifts, character and joy, along with our closeness and fellowship with Jesus (Romans 5:3-5, 1 Peter 4:12-13, James 1:2-4).
Life and happiness on earth is not a person without suffering.
6. If everything is not included, the church will miss out.
I often thought of the Bible about the “body of Christ” in relation to myself and my church. Some of us are good at teaching. But have I ever thought about how these verses include boy cavenging in slums in India? Is illiterate women harvesting fields in Africa? My daughter, who can’t talk or walk?
And if the ears should say, “I am not an eye, so I am not part of the body,” it doesn’t make it a part of the body. If your whole body is your eyes, where is your hearing? …But as it was, God placed each of their members in his body, as he chose. …There are many parts, but there is one body.
The eyes cannot say, “I don’t need you”… on the contrary, the body parts that appear to be weak are essential… (1 Corinthians 12:16-22, add emphasis)
The body of Christ is beautiful and diverse. Not only in talent and ethnicity, but also in cognitive, physical and sensory input. And even seemingly weak people are simply essential (i.e. absolutely necessary).
Historically, religious people have suffered deep wounds to disabled people and their families, and have done little to show that disabled people are “essential” to the perfection of the church. There may be a wheelchair lamp for someone to roll the door, but do we make space for all people to flourish, serve, guide, and for all people to truly belong?
In other words, the obstacles may not be tragic. But how does the church react?
Good news for you all
“Disability is a normal event in our unusual world.” *Whether by chance, aging or illness, most people become disabled in their lives. This is why the Gospel is good news for all of us who live in a disability world. The Gospels say that we are loved, cherished and belong to the loving kindness of our God, not something we can contribute.
Let’s cherish what Jesus values. Transform through the good news of the gospel and let such communities be transformed so that everyone feels absolutely necessary regardless of their abilities.
*Different boats on the same lake by Stephanie Hubach
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Jessica Etheridge has been working at the CRU and Mission for the past 15 years. First on campus with university students at the University of Illinois, and now he invests in families affected by community disability along with family life. She and her husband Alex have three children (Rhodes, Forester and Avonley). Her greatest passion is that all people have access to Jesus regardless of their abilities.
