Shepherding God's Purpose Through Disabilities
By Garett Wall
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. | John 9:1-3
We don’t know a lot about the man at the center of the events in chapter nine of the Gospel of John but we have enough details to appreciate his lack of position and stature within his own community. While we never learn his name, we do read in verse one that he was born with physical blindness, which not only created an extreme level of isolation but almost certainly contributed to him earning his identity as a beggar in verse 8. We’re also introduced to his parents in verse 18 but we never learn why he was positioned along the path where Jesus and his disciples were passing by rather than with his family.
What we do learn is that both the man’s blindness and his interaction with Jesus were not accidents. It was not simply a chance encounter but instead was a life-changing moment with a soul-saving objective. As Jesus saw the man, his disciples also noticed him but they didn’t understand why God designed him without the ability to see with his eyes.
Misconception
Their confusion in that moment and the question that came with it is remarkably similar to the emotions and questions I found myself wrestling through after my son Isaac was born with Down syndrome. While the disciples asked whose sin was to blame for the man’s blindness, I found myself questioning God’s purpose and plan for my son and for my family in the wake of Isaac’s birth.
The answer provided to the disciples that day by Jesus was the same answer given to me as I pleaded for clarity in an otherwise cloudy and foggy moment. The blindness for that man nearly 2,000 years ago, the Down syndrome for my son today and the wide range of disabilities and special needs all around us are instruments for the powerful works of God to be displayed for everyone to experience.
The Gap
Even after years of separation from the disciples, the same misguided understanding of God's purpose is prevalent today, where many of our churches show little interest in serving our friends and families in the disability community. According to information shared by Ability Ministry, nearly 90 percent of churches make no intentional efforts in reaching the disability community for Christ.
Conversely, research from Erik Carter, the Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Special Education at Vanderbilt University, suggests that 80 percent of families who have a loved one with special needs are unchurched. The gap between the unchurched within the disability community and the opportunities to connect with an inviting and equipped church is far too wide. A disparity of that magnitude, whether unintentional or not, sidesteps Jesus's command to make disciples of all nations.
There are many factors contributing to this failure by our churches today. It likely begins with the lack of biblical theology on the topic of disability, which minimizes the level of appreciation for God’s plan and purpose for our friends with disabilities. There may also be an absence of understanding and empathy for the challenges, demands, and limits encountered in day to day life for individuals and families impacted by disabilities.
Whether its family dynamics, friendships, neighbors, school, work, transportation or church, all areas of life are affected. This is a difficult, lifelong journey which often features extended periods of isolation and loneliness due to the lack of consistent care and support from others, which in turn, takes a significant toll on the emotional, physical and spiritual health of our friends and families impacted by disabilities. And it often leaves them longing for hope in a world where very little hope seems to be present around them.
Editors Note: This is part one of a two part article. Part two will be available Thursday December 8 and discusses 4 practical ways churches and pastors can shepherd those with disabilities.
Garett Wall is a minister with Shine Disabilities Ministry at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY where he faithfully shepherds kids, teens and adults with disabilities and their families. A native of Dover, TN, Garett is married to Becky and has two children, Lily and Isaac.