Differently Abled

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given to us. Romans 12:4-6a

The words above are inspired writings. For whatever reason, God wanted us to read them, believe them and behave accordingly. There are many parts and all of them are different. I have two small, very sweet friends who are identical twins. When I first met them I relied on the color of their eyeglasses to tell them apart. Their mom laughed at that. She told me that most people can’t tell them apart but to her and her husband, they are very different. It didn’t take long before I understood what she meant. I don’t need the glasses anymore to tell one princess from the other.

During the day I work with handicapped children. In our department the disabilities range from fairly mild to extremely severe. The word disabled is politically correct at the moment. We’ve been all kinds of things but that is the currently accepted phraseology. To me it is the least correct term. Challenged? Yes. Afflicted? Perhaps. Handicapped? In some ways, sure. How does that make them different from the rest of us? Look at it closely. How does it make them different from Jesus?

The Scripture above tells us that every created being was put here for a purpose. Due to my line of work, I have heard and witnessed some incredibly ignorant and often hurtful things. Here’s the crazy part. I have struggled and most likely will continue to struggle with my own sense of purpose. Why am I here? What exactly am I supposed to be doing? Often I have no clue. Sometimes, some wonderful, blessed moments, I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what God created me to do but those moments are rarer than I would like. Now, take a look at a little boy I’ll call Brad. There isn’t a moment in this life that my little friend needs to question his purpose. The kid has a killer smile and he uses it all the time. There isn’t a person in our department who doesn’t smile at him in return or speak to him every day. He is delightful. He is also completely unable to speak or walk or do much of anything on his own and yet, I guarantee you this world would be a lesser place without him.

Is Brad disabled? I suppose in the sense that he is unable to do some things, okay, most things. I prefer the term I first saw in a toy store ad, differently abled. Brad’s abilities are not the same as mine but then mine aren’t the same as my daughter’s.

My daughter is a math whiz. She can calculate the tips of an eight person dinner table before I can get my calculator out of my purse. Yet, last night, I hesitated to give her a book because the author’s vocabulary is bit beyond her comfort zone. That isn’t to say she couldn’t understand it but to say she would have to stretch and at the moment I wanted to stay in her comfort zone.

We all have strengths and weaknesses. We are all differently abled. That is the way God planned it. I don’t know why. Although I do think Brad and his friends are here to teach us, to bring out the best in us. Sadly they often bring out the worst and then bear the brunt of that ignorance.

God said it through Paul. Jesus lived it and I believe we are meant to embrace it; we are many parts but all one body. Each of us is called to use our strengths and our weaknesses for the edification of others as well as for God’s glory.

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