The Works of God

George Will offered a great gift to families like ours when he wrote about his son with Down syndrome this past week:

He, however, with an underdeveloped entitlement mentality, has been equable about life’s sometimes careless allocation of equity. Perhaps this is partly because, given the nature of Down syndrome, neither he nor his parents have any tormenting sense of what might have been. Down syndrome did not alter the trajectory of his life; Jon was Jon from conception on.

I’m grateful God placed Jon Will into a family that includes a man who is read in newspapers and watched on television all over the world.  George Will has been a helpful voice for those living with disabilities.

But Justin Taylor, on his blog, offered a greater gift in his comments on George Will’s article:

In the fight for human dignity—which includes caring for the unborn, caring for orphans, caring for those with disabilities—we need to see hearts changed by the gospel and laws changed in the land. But we also need a cultural of encouragement for those who are in need, and more stories like this can only help.

And I pray that George Will, who is an agnostic, will recognize that the only basis for human dignity is our equality before our Creator, who made each of us in his image, and that redemption can only be found in the person and in the work of Jesus Christ.

I see Justin’s response as the greater gift for two reasons:

1. Justin points to Jesus.  That is so much more important than anything else anyone has to say about disability or any other topic.
2. Justin doesn’t have to point to disability, but he has come back to it time and again over the years.  His is a clear, consistent, Biblical call for the entire church, not just those of us directly impacted, to see this issue as important.  Those of us who live with this as a daily issue in our families owe men like him a great debt for his service.

God knows what he is doing, and I am grateful to God for Justin Taylor’s voice on this issue, for God’s glory and for our good.