Image of God And Disability – Refrigerator Mom Really?

Last week I shared a little about my funny warped view growing up and my unconscious-biases mis-used in my growing disability perspective. In addition to my life as a proud Army brat, the last 21 years have been filled with the experience of Autism. This is one of the reasons I have a passion to ask questions about what God has said about disability in the Bible.

From the 1940s to the 1970s medical experts around the world held a view called “Refrigerator Mom”.  Autism was caused by the cold uncaring mom that withholds her love from her baby thus traumatizing the child into autism¹. I have met mothers that were clinically told that catastrophic wrong, and now debunked theory. In 2003 when I was seeking answers and help before the diagnosis. My beloved pastor’s advice was the problem was my parenting style and my son was just willfully disobedient. Our pediatrician at the time said our son was lazy and not wanting to hit some of the developmental milestones. In fact the pediatrician referred me (not my child) to a therapist who promoted her book “How to Manage Your Child Like An Employee”. Absolutely not a best seller!

All of this however leaves a lasting impression on me that the policy makers, the insurance industry, the medical experts, the education system, well intended authors, and even beloved pastors have their own bias, limited knowledge and definitions. I love the term Just a Mom. Not in the negative sense, but a glorious title of love, strength and knowledge about their child. No refrigerator here but total and all consuming love. It’s the Proverbs kind of love that just an ordinary mom has for their kids… 

Proverbs 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She owns her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household. (NIV)

It’s the kind of love that surrenders her knowledge and wisdom about her child to a loving God.  Again I love the verse in Romans, this time from the bible version The Message.

Romans 12:1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work and walking-around life [and motherhood] – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (MSG)

Okay, the boy by the refrigerator could easily be my son! This all brings me back to my question of how we are made in the image of God. According to the Bible and my faith in a loving God, what is the Image of God and how does God view/define disability? But before we talk to God and offer our current definitions involved in this question we have one more thought or assignment.  What biblical lens are we looking through?  

I have a confession to make. As a believer my faith is placed in God. As a believer and Christ-follower my grounding is faith-based not religion/denomination based. Don’t get me wrong, I love my home church and its teachings.  But in my writing you will see my filter and lens working with a discerning and suspicious voice on traditional theologies. Our contemporary and traditional views and interpretations of the Bible have changed over the 2000+ years with as many to count as the types of churches/faiths and denominations around the world. Each denomination views their doctrine as absolute, and frankly a lot of church members don’t know what church’s doctrine is being taught with each sermon. 

I remind myself that the Bible is sacred – but doctrine is man’s attempt at understanding what is sacred. Included are the early Christian theologians St. Ignatius of Antioch and St. Augustine. The Reformation theologians Calvin and Luther. The Revivalists Edwards and C. Wesley, and the list goes on to Modern theologians; C.S.Lewis, Ratzinger, Stott. There are the Non-Christian theologians that have shaped the thoughts about the Old Testament; Herschel, Adler, … All with different takes on what is doctrine, much still being debated today. Oh, a plug for my favorite is our contemporary Dr. Amos Young who wrote Theology of Down Syndrome; Reimagining Disability in Late Modernity². 

So you are invited to define the image of God or disability right along with me by reading the Bible. Take it very personally, intimately, factually and with prayer. Take the sacred as a whole, careful not to take it out of context. The redemption story is for disability, for that is the story God tells. Trust yourself that as you draw close to God he will speak truth and you will begin to understand. For most of us, unlike Paul, that is a life-long enlightening experience not a lighting flash of the truth.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

Assignment: Know your lens!  If you don’t know already, find out which doctrine beliefs are held by your church, or dominate your understanding of God and the Bible. Use those doctrines as a prayer for understanding what God is calling you to hold true. Use doctrine as a starting point to faith maturity and to understand disability in the Bible. 

Prayer. God, as always, thank you for being living and active in the Bible, in my life and those that I love. I know that seeking truth and understanding of you is a life journey, no quick answers. Help me grow my faith, mature my faith and love others like a Proverbs 31:25 woman. Thank you for the precious title of being Just a Mom and remind me to take my every-day ordinary life and place it before you. Gosh, thank you for the geeks and theologians that start the conversation and for my personal relationship with you and my journey to understand your truth.

Next week I promise we will really get into the question of the image of God. 

Additional References:

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. NIV

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Don not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good …Now may the God of peace himself … NIV

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven NIV

¹ Https//www.verywellhealth.com/why-refrigerator-mothers-were-blamed-for-autism-for-autism-260135#citation-1

²Theology and Down Syndrome, Reimaging Disability in Late Modernity. Amos Young 2007