Beautifully Broken- A Study For Special Needs ParentsSample

Finding beauty from the broken.

What does God think about disabilities & brokenness? How are disabilities viewed in the Bible? What does disabled mean to you? 
The answer to that last question will probably be coated in your cultural context. Most people, when they hear the term disabled, automatically think of the blue wheelchair icon, the universal symbol for handicapped accessibility. But that icon in no way encompasses the wider scope of disabilities. Some studies show Americans with disabilities number 1 in  6. Clearly, we don't see 16% of the population in a wheelchair. So that icon misses the majority of people affected by disabilities and special needs.

Some in the disability community don't like to use the word broken. That's understandable. I get it. We don't want society seeing our kids as less than. We want them to see the value and worth of these imagers of God right off the bat. We want them to see beyond the physical, right? But here's the problem in trying to change the stigma of "broken" or disabled: being imperfect does not make someone less than. How did we humans ever come to that conclusion? We don't need to gloss over imperfections & special needs, pretending there's nothing different about them. What we need to do is shift the narrative, that there is nothing wrong with being  imperfect because not a single one of us are perfect! We are all broken in some way!

When Jesus spoke to his disciples about the man born blind in John 9:1-3, the disciples jumped to the judgmental conclusion that someone had sinned & this man was facing the punishment of those transgressions. Generational curses. Unholy living. Judgment meted out upon this man for some unknown crime against God. They viewed him as a sinner. His obvious brokenness made him or someone close to him a sinner and he became an outcast. He was obviously different from the rest. They believed his disability was directly related to divine discipline. But what does Jesus say about the man? Jesus doesn't pretend the man's blindness isn't there. Jesus doesn't pretend it's normal to not be able to see. No, Jesus tells the men that the man was born blind for a reason. His eyes are broken so that the work of God would be displayed in him, so God would be glorified. This was a powerful new idea for his followers theology. God allows brokenness for His beauty to shine through. The disciples had their preconceived notions about sinning and brokenness shattered.

There is nothing wrong with being imperfect, broken, different, or special needs. God consistently used damaged people to bring about his sovereign plans. Other than Jesus, God never used perfect people to purpose his plans. God held people with different needs in high regard. They were loved on and cared for. They were invited in, just as they are, to sit and eat at the king's table as one of His own.

We bring something vitally important to the church & society as special needs parents. We see how amazing our kids are because they are different. We see past the visible brokenness. We don't need to pretend they are perfect. But they are beautiful just the way they are! Made in God's image on purpose and for a purpose. Let's boldly share the message of God's love in sharing the beauty that comes from brokenness. Because not a single one of us are perfect either. 

Reflection:

Has anyone ever blamed you for your child's special needs?

Does knowing God creates people with certain disabilities make it easier for you to accept your child's situation?