I am going to make a statement that may startle you. You may disagree with it. But I will show you that the Bible supports this statement made by Pastor Don Anderson of Christ for People with Developmental Disabilities in Anoka.
“‘God made people with disabilities perfectly.
They do not need to be fixed or changed or healed.
They are completely able to glorify God and worship Him with contagious enthusiasm.
They have been given ministry gifts by God for encouraging and building up the church.
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They are looking for the same opportunities most of us look for:
A place to belong.
A place to be accepted.
A place to serve others.
A place to use their ministry gifts.
A place to receive ministry and encouragement.’”
Jesus created everyone equal in their mother’s womb. Every child born needs life and breath. Everyone also needs love, acceptance and forgiveness.
The Bible calls the church “the Body of Christ.” Just think about our own bodies and all the parts that work together to make us live, move, talk and think. Although we pay most attention to the parts of our body we can see, many of the parts that are unseen are just as important or more important.
We desperately need all the parts of our body to work together to make us a healthy person. I find it easy to think about myself as I read Psalm 139 in the Bible. But how does it make you feel to think of people with disabilities being described the same way?
Psalm 139:13. You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother’s body. 14. How You made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise You for that. What You have done is wonderful. I know that very well.
15. None of my bones was hidden from You when you made me inside my mother’s body. That place was as dark as the deepest parts of the earth. When you were putting me together there, 16. Your eyes saw my body even before it was formed. You planned how many days I would live. You wrote down the number of them in Your book before I had lived through even one of them.
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People with disabilities can receive the same comfort we receive from reading these next verses of Psalm 139:17. God, your thoughts about me are priceless. No one can possibly add them all up. 18. If I could count them, they would be more than the grains of sand. If I were to fall asleep counting and then wake up, you would still be there with me.
God has a purpose for every person He has made. We need to discover the purpose God made each one of us the way He did. We need to give each person the place of prominence they deserve in our church and society.
The Rev. Larry J. Campbell is pastor of Friend 2 Friend Chapel for people with disabilities, their families and caregivers.
