Image of God and Disability – Created in His image; in Yahweh my child with a disability is created!

I was created to be in relationship, with God, my family and community -in relationship with you.  It delights God’s heart that we search and thrive on having a loving relationship with him through Jesus.  I have to admit this week’s blog has been especially hard to write.  With prayer and trepidation I stepped into the fray of a theologian’s’ territory and their debates, asking God the hard questions.  My prayer is that you follow along with your own personal direct and beautiful relationship with God.   

When we invest in women and girls, we are investing in the people who invest in everyone else.”

Melinda Gates, The Moment of Lift

I’m a big fan of Melinda Gates and influenced by her book Moment of Lift, regarding women empowerment. God has placed on my heart that to make a difference in my world and my child’s world where disability is included – it will be to reach out to you.  It is through the maternal empowerment to understand God’s word, a belief in Jesus Christ and the ability for the Holy Spirit to direct us all that we can fulfill the promise of God.  

Read the following scripture and ask your self the questions below:

“Praise be the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.  He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.  He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.  He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.  I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you,  … you have made known to us the dream of the king.”   – Daniel 2:20-23

Questions: __ Answers: __  

What is God’s?  __ wisdom__ and __ power__.  

What does he change?  __ times_ and __ seasons_, _ kings (authorities; medical, theologians, etc.,)_. 

What does he give?  __ wisdom_, __ knowledge to the discerning_, and _ power_.

What does he reveal?  __  deep and hidden things __

What has he made known? __ What we asked of Him__

This includes my ask of Him for our empowerment to read scripture and the Bible for ourselves.  These last four posts helped us look at man’s doctrine(s) as attempts to interpret sacred scripture, it looked at the 60⁺versions of the active Bibles in the Western World, and it hopefully encouraged you to think beyond the Political, Social, Medical and Economic history that have created an oppressive and common view of disability.   Throughout the posts I have prayed for us to renew our minds to know God’s will.  

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

What have we prayerfully asked of God?  We started with the question; If we are made in the image of God, how does my child with a disability reflect into that image?  I would love to be in a room with you and listen to what you have discerned working through the four posts. It would delight my heart and others to hear your empowered voice.  

God has placed on my heart that we all are made in his nature, but being human we are imperfect reflections of that nature.  That my child, and myself living with disability are just as much made in reflection of God’s nature so to better understand and know God.  

It was an uneasy feeling to know that what I secretly wanted to be true, that we should be perfect according to human definition of comfort, beauty, popularity and strength, – was not in the image of God.  His picture of truth is so much bigger than my physical comfort, or how I might walk funny, or how my child is intellectually different from what I wanted to be his “right”.  Yes, this is the hidden truth I held, that I was supposed to be comfortable, my child is supposed to be spared the relentless judgement of others, that life shouldn’t be this hard …. All that makes me uneasy, weary, it’s bothersome … thorny at times.  I wanted the “prosperity gospel” for lack of a better term … and if I only asked God, all will be made comfortable for me and mine.  But that is not what the Bible says.  It does say that I am/my child is created in his nature and capable to a degree of loving, mercy, grace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, truth … and those are just a few of God’s moral attributes.  

My child and I are made in the image of God, disability and all.  In the image of Yahweh we are made in his nature.  It is a beautiful truth, if not inconvenient.  

We accept that Jesus is the perfect revelation of God, and we know that Jesus’ resurrection scars ascended into heaven with him.  His scars of disability from the crucifixion was a part of him that he proudly shared with Thomas and the disciples. John 20:19 After his crucifixion “Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.  The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”  Later in John 20:26-29. “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them.  Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put you finger here; see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it into my side.  Stop doubting and believe.”  Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Understanding that Jesus had the power, but not the need to remove his scars of disability what are your thoughts?  What was the response by the disciples?  Seeing and recognizing the moment of Jesus’s disability what did they say?  

Did they say; Jesus you are no longer the image of my God?  No.  They were overjoyed and exclaimed “My Lord and my God”.  

I close this section on the Image of God with a hope that you have better discerned for yourself how God, through the Bible sees disability in his image.  There is so much more to be said, but I want us to ask the next heart wrenching questions.  Why God, Why my child?  Did you will my child’s disability and suffering?  How could you?  

So now sharing a deeply felt scripture with you and for you:  

“That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you – every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks.  But I do more than thank.  I ask – ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory – to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him – endless energy, boundless strength!” Ephesians 1:15-19 (MSG) 

I can’t stop thanking God for you, for my child. I do pray, I do more than pray – I ask the Almighty in discerning him personally.

Reflection:  God spoke; “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and yes Earth itself, And every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them … (MSG 1:26-28)

Assignment:  Journal what you believe is the reflection of God and disability.  What have you learned or discerned anew?  What beliefs are strengthened or challenged?  What additional questions regarding the image of God do you want to explore on your own?

Prayer. God, you are truth and light.  You give wisdom, power and discernment to those that seek your truth.  We feel so much closer to you when we are in your Word, close to Christ, and having conversations with you.  Daily let us see you and cry “My Lord and my God!”.  I thank you that you are the God of my life – disability and all.  I surrender my own understanding and need to be comfortable and willingly turn to you instead.  My greatest prayer is the redemption of my child and those I love.  Now Lord with a full heart I include all those who are going on this journey with me, and I pray Ephesians1:17. I ask that you make all reading this intelligent and discerning in knowing you personally, eyes focused and clear so that we may grasp your glorious way of life, enjoying the utter extravagance of your work in us.