The Handicapped and the Church Community.

I am in full agreement with Steven Fettke that the church body needs to do more to accept and minister to people with physical and/or mental handicaps. The questions he asks are hard ones; but, as we have read, asking hard questions is good. It helps us face difficult situations and find answers and ways to get through them. Living with a disabled person is one of those trying situations, and I think it's normal to wrestle with "why" questions since disabilities can complicate things.

I truly appreciated Fettke's definition of normal "as simply being created in God's image." That is comforting, beautiful, and so very true. God, the only Being that is unchanging, is the Creator of such varied and different people. So how is it that we try to determine normality based on our incredibly varied selves? Yes, normal helps us create thought pathways and categorize aspects of humanity. But as I think about normalcy right now from a Biblical perspective, I feel confident that God is not concerned with normal. He is all for the last becoming first and the weak being the strong. Our human ideas of "normal" do not really mean being normal is better in God's eyes.

I liked Fettke's discussion of pneumatology, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (yes . . . I did look that up to clarify things!), and his use of related Scripture. God is the author, creator, and giver of life--all life. And all human beings are created with souls and the inner capacity to know God. They are just as able to be filled with and share His spirit and love. I see the relationship between mentally disabled people and God as raw and simple.

To best explain this I want to tell you about my little brother. He has down syndrome and so is quite mentally handicapped, and he is probably the least judgmental person I have known. Though most people see him as disabled (myself included), he has this beautiful gift of acceptance that I don't think I will ever come close to. Maybe it's because he can't think as critically. Maybe it's because he doesn't understand many things. But I have seen him love, hug, smile, wave to, laugh with, and comfort all kinds of people. Young or old, clean or dirty. He doesn't base anything on how people look, talk, act, or think. It brings happy tears to my eyes. When I see him interacting like this, I see the Spirit of Christ. IQ doesn't limit God. Physical ability doesn't slow Him down. There truly is nothing powerful enough to separate us from Christ's love or His working through us.