This year for our family vacation we took Paul with us. It worked out pretty well, though it wasn’t simple. And we experienced some benefits, like being able to enter any National Park for free and using our handicapped parking sign in a tourist town at the height of tourist season!
But yesterday we had another family outing and didn’t include him. The Great Minnesota Get-Together started on Thursday and my other three children were excited about going (and my daughter won two tickets from the local library). Dianne and I talked about one last family outing before school, but ultimately decided it would be better if Paul stayed home with Dianne.
All the same issues came up for me as they have in the past about what it means to be a family with one member who lives with multiple disabilities. It isn’t debilitating, especially since it was only for part of a day, but these moments still make me pause to pray for wisdom and then peace about what I’ve decided.
As it turned out, it was a good decision. We hadn’t been to the State Fair for three or four years and I had forgotten how loud the music is, how hot it can get, and how chaotic the streets are. My middle son commented as we left, “Paul would have hated this!” And my other children loved being able to move freely and quickly; something that isn’t really possible when Paul is with us.
We’ve been at this for a while; for my other children, their entire lives. So far, my fears that they would prefer he not be around for family activities haven’t proven true.
But I still pray for God’s help in making decisions like this (as small as it may seem) and for God to protect their hearts about their brother’s standing in our family and his worth to the world.
I very nearly stood up and cheered when Pastor John said this more than two years ago. But I think I was crying too hard, with joy:
So my aim in this message is modest and, I think, explosive, if the church really took hold of it and lived it.
The message is that God knits all the children together in their mothers’ wombs, and they are all—all of them of every degree of ability—conceived for the purpose of displaying the glory of God.
A friend reminded me about how good Paul Miller’s book, A Praying Life, is (bold is mine):
The Father can’t think of anything better to give us than his Son. Suffering invites us to join his Son’s life, death, and resurrection. Once you see that, suffering is no longer strange. Peter writes, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:12-13).
Sometimes you just have to say, “wow.” And “thank you, Lord.”
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:1-4 ESV)
Two weeks ago on my birthday my sister and niece took my family out to a wonderful Mexican restaurant. After ordering our meals, a stranger approached me and asked if he could pray for Paul.
As I’ve written before, this happens occasionally when people notice he lives with disabilities. After asking permission, he then asked this question:
Do you have any unrepentant sin in your life?
If you go to the link above, you know that I struggle when strangers intrude into my son’s life with unsolicited offers to pray for him. And a question like that is full of self-righteous opportunities for reply!
But this was different; God protected my heart this time. God used that episode back in February, and Dianne’s wise counsel at that time, to get my heart oriented differently.
I engaged him in conversation, discussed some of the Biblical texts around disability and healing, and found a man who didn’t know all the Biblical texts I brought up, but he knew Jesus and was confident in his salvation because of who Jesus is.
So, I let him pray for my son. Paul was not healed, but I think Larry from Texas and his family were encouraged that they had met another family that trusts the promises of God.
And Dianne remarked later at how kind it was that he took that bold step to approach a stranger. He could not have known how we would respond, but he came anyway, in faith.
I don’t think I would ever start a conversation with the same words that he did. But that really isn’t the point, is it. He acted for the good of his neighbor who he didn’t even know, because Jesus was very real to him.
I asked Pastor John to use Mark 2:1-12 as his text for our upcoming conference, The Works of God: God’s Good Design in Disability. I know he’s considering it, but I’ll be happy with whatever God gives him that day for us!
I asked him to consider that text because I’ve read too many articles that try to make Mark 2:1-12 (the accounting of Jesus healing a paralyzed man) into something that it is not. In summary, some writers use this text to assert that Jesus made sin the cause of the man’s disability. They write for academic journals, and thus are influencing future pastors and professors.
So, I was a little worried when I stumbled upon The Encyclopedia of Disability by Gary Albrecht. Thankfully, his brief summary of Mark 2 clearly separates the two issues. Emphasis in bold is mine:
The earliest account of the healing of the man with paralysis is probably that found in the Gospel of Mark (first century CE ). Here a clear distinction is made between sin and disability. The Markan evangelist does not tell us why the man’s friends brought him to Jesus. Jesus’ act of compassion is the forgiveness of sins, which he sees as the man’s true need. The act of healing, which is separate from the act of forgiveness, is meant solely as a sign of power for the religious leaders who are watching the event. The accounts of the same event in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke share this focus on the forgiveness of sins.
Yes, this man’s primary problem (and ours) was his sin! I appreciate that Dr. Albrecht gave a summary faithful to the Biblical text. His summary of John 9 was a little too perfunctory, but still on the right track. Unfortunately, this encyclopedia is only available online through academic institutions.
Here is the full text of Mark 2:1-12 (ESV). The sentence in bold is Jesus’ own words about why he healed the man; there’s really very little room for misunderstanding if we just read the text itself!
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door.
And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Pat Robertson said some really vile things on Thursday afternoon about adopted children. Thankfully, the response was swift and thoughtful, like these from Russell Moore and Shannon Dingle (among many others).
At about the same time, an Oxford Professor of Ethics, Dr. Julian Savulescu, declared war on children. In his article in the Reader’s Digest, The Maverick: “It’s Our Duty to Have Designer Babies,” he clearly articulates his disdain for children who do not fit his particular view of the world:
Some people believe that babies are a gift, of God or nature, and that we shouldn’t mess with their genetic make-up. But most of us already implicitly reject this view. We’re routinely screening embryos and foetuses for conditions such as cystic fibrosis and Down’s syndrome, and there’s little public outcry.
He does not mention abortion, but he doesn’t need to do so; we know the result he expects from ‘screening.’ And don’t miss his subtle invitation to join the club of cool kids: ‘most of us already implicitly reject this view’ that babies are a gift. Why not make it explicit?
Eugenics originated as a “moral obligation,” moved from there to legal coercion, and ultimately crescendoed into the worst evils of human history. And now many of those same ideas have regained sufficient respectability the Reader’s Digest editors think them worthy of respectable presentation. This won’t end well.
Mr. Smith is right.
What is also alarming is Dr. Savulescu’s (an obviously well-educated and accomplished man) naiveté in believing that the difference between his form of eugenics and the Nazi version he repudiates is that his version will be ‘voluntary’ for parents, rather than what the Nazi’s did using the ‘coercive imposition of a state vision for a healthy population.’
Yet, his own example about the ‘little public outcry’ at our ‘routinely screening embryos and foetuses’ demonstrates that there are other coercive mechanisms in place beyond the state. Our culture, as well, coerces doctors, family members, mothers and fathers to see children as expendable burdens rather than the gifts they are.
Pastor John gave a wonderful meditation on Friday morning about the importance of not being vague. So here’s my attempt to be clear:
God makes people:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26 ESV)
Some of those people will live with disabilities, because God made them that way:
Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? (Exodus 4:11 ESV)
He made them that way because he is purposeful in everything he does:
Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3 ESV)
He knows we will be tempted to think of our members with disabilities as having less worth, so he tells us how to think correctly:
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. . . (1 Corinthians 12:22 ESV)
And if that wasn’t clear enough, he warns us not to abuse them:
You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:14 ESV)
And if that wasn’t enough he reminds us that, for those who cling to Jesus as their hope and treasure, he makes everything work to our good:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 ESV)
At the end of the day, Pat Robertson is no real threat to children. He might reinforce some stereotypes in some people, but for the most part people see clearly how ignorant, anti-gospel, and foolish he is.
Dr. Savulescu, on the other hand, has thought a great deal about his subject and writes with easy confidence that he is right and that intelligent people should embrace his position. He knows it will be controversial, but isn’t that where all good things begin? So, he is going to help us begin a conversation.
This has happened before. The intellectual seeds of the murder of millions of Jewish people and tens of thousands of disabled people did not come from Germany but from the United States and United Kingdom. The difference is today we have the Internet to help us illuminate and to prepare so that it does not happen again.
And some of the so-called weaker members are already helping us remember that the lives of real people are at stake! Thank you to Justin Taylor for posting this video:
Dr. Zahl makes the strong point in this video that suffering people need to hear about grace in their hard circumstances from the pulpit. That has made a huge difference in my life – hearing the Word of God proclaimed clearly and passionately over and over again!
That is part of the gift of the ebook, Disability and the Sovereign Goodness of God. Pastor John uses the words of the Bible to help us understand something about God and his purposes, which puts my circumstances into proper perspective in light of God’s sovereign goodness and power.
And that is why I so strongly recommend this ebook to pastors. You have members with disabilities in your churches, or affiliated with families in your churches. They will benefit from your carefully using God’s word, including the hard passages related to disability, sickness and suffering, to reveal more about the character, promises and sovereignty of God over all things.
Thank you to Susan Meyers (Paul’s aid at church) for sending the link to this blog post: The Loss of Joy – the Death of My Sister. May every brother or sister of a sibling with disabilities learn the lessons this man learned as he concluded on his sister’s death, “Our God is so good.”
Some people have a vague sense of confidence that God will use disability for good but most people are very hungry for answers to the deeper questions about disability. They want to see specifically where those answers come from IN THE BIBLE. Fourteen years ago, Larry and I started struggling to find answers in God’s Word when Carly was born. Unfortunately, we found very little leadership around us that offered satisfying answers. That’s a common experience that NEEDS TO BE UN-COMMON. Individuals and families with special needs must be embraced into churches, sermons, small groups, and friendships where people can help them discover what God really has to say about them or their child. YOU CAN HELP CREATE THAT COMMUNITY BY EDUCATING YOUR CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE. This new book is an excellent resource to help you prepare sermons, educate your circle of influence and respond to core questions about God’s sovereign design.
God is very good to give me friends who help me persevere in faith! Now, let us help others see this God who is powerful and loving and merciful and good in all his designs, including disability.
We just returned from vacation and I need some time to get back into blogging. This was first posted in June 2010.
Revelation 21 has good news for those called by God:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Not everyone looks forward to being made new.
Dr. Nancy Eiesland, who wrote an influential, frequently-cited book on God and disability, The Disabled God, does not agree that it is good news that all things will be made new. In an article in Impact, Dr. Eiesland writes about why she hopes she will have her disability in heaven:
As a person with a disability, I could not accept the traditional answers given to my own query of “What is disability?” Since I have a congenital disability, I have had opportunities to hear and experience many of these so-called answers through the years. They included “You are special in God’s eyes, that’s why you were given this painful disability.” Imagine it didn’t seem logical. Or “Don’t worry about your pain and suffering now, in heaven you will be made whole.” Again, having been disabled from birth, I came to believe that in heaven I would be absolutely unknown to myself and perhaps to God. My disability has taught me who I am and who God is. What would it mean to be without this knowledge?
Dr. Eiesland also concluded that God is disabled; that’s a subject for a different post.
I don’t know what our new bodies will be like. Like most people, I imagine these new bodies will be spectacular. But the greatest thing isn’t that we will have new bodies.
The greatest thing is we will be in the presence of Jesus without any of our old sin-filled existence dragging on us. For eternity we will enjoy Jesus purely, without any worry about sinful motives clouding our judgment, drawing our attention away from our Savior, or tempting us to do anything other than what Jesus would have us do, which is enjoy him.
So, I am expecting that none of us, even those who live a disability-free existence in this life, will have any relevant comparison point when we arrive in Jesus’ presence. Sin has distorted everything in this life:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:19-23
So, as much as I look forward to knowing my Paul without all his disabilities getting in the way, I really look forward to being free of my sin. And I take Dr. Eiesland’s perspective as a warning that anything can be used to distort our understanding of the age that is to come.
Our physical bodies here will not determine our eternity. Only God does that, by the work of Jesus Christ. And Jesus himself has said, “I am making all things new.”
The Works of God 
Is it really a family outing without one (or more) members of the family?
August 24, 2012 by John Knight
This year for our family vacation we took Paul with us. It worked out pretty well, though it wasn’t simple. And we experienced some benefits, like being able to enter any National Park for free and using our handicapped parking sign in a tourist town at the height of tourist season!
But yesterday we had another family outing and didn’t include him. The Great Minnesota Get-Together started on Thursday and my other three children were excited about going (and my daughter won two tickets from the local library). Dianne and I talked about one last family outing before school, but ultimately decided it would be better if Paul stayed home with Dianne.
All the same issues came up for me as they have in the past about what it means to be a family with one member who lives with multiple disabilities. It isn’t debilitating, especially since it was only for part of a day, but these moments still make me pause to pray for wisdom and then peace about what I’ve decided.
As it turned out, it was a good decision. We hadn’t been to the State Fair for three or four years and I had forgotten how loud the music is, how hot it can get, and how chaotic the streets are. My middle son commented as we left, “Paul would have hated this!” And my other children loved being able to move freely and quickly; something that isn’t really possible when Paul is with us.
We’ve been at this for a while; for my other children, their entire lives. So far, my fears that they would prefer he not be around for family activities haven’t proven true.
But I still pray for God’s help in making decisions like this (as small as it may seem) and for God to protect their hearts about their brother’s standing in our family and his worth to the world.
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