Differently-abled and precious.

 

For over thirty years I've worked and lived with people who have special needs. I would say without hesitation that they're some of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to meet. 

The last six years of my working life were spent with some of the most profoundly impaired people, both physically and intellectually. Within a few days of commencing work I was deeply struck by how each person was a unique personality, with a great capacity for connection, communication, humour and love. Working with each one was a privilege and impacted my life for the better. 

There is nothing to fear from a person with special needs. I'm more afraid of criminals and addicts and people with the capacity to conduct elaborate scams. I may be generalising here but I have found that people with special needs make great friends because they value friendship for its own sake. They make great employees because they want to be included in the workforce, work as hard as they can and take sick days only when they're sick. 

I write this in the aftermath of a widely publicised report of a couple in USA who allegedly aborted their 21week old baby in the womb because test results indicated that the child may have Down Syndrome or Trisomy 21. There is some speculation that the whole account was a stunt – that the parents filmed and presented the whole sorry series of episodes to gain publicity, clicks and money. Whether true or manufactured, many of us were shocked, appalled, angered and saddened by this unwarranted publicity.

Families of people with Downs and their allies have rallied in a heartwarming show of solidarity to show what most of us knew – that people with Downs may have some unique characteristics associated with the syndrome, but are no less worthy of life, love and inclusion than anyone else. The families who have shared their experiences of living with someone with a disability are the true “influencers”- encouraging a society which is caring and compassionate, particularly to its most vulnerable members.

History shows us that once a society starts to classify some people as less worthy of living, it never stops. The eugenics movements of the 1920s, 30s and 40s targeted people with disabilities, African Americans, homosexuals, Jews, the elderly and sick, culminating in the Nazi concentration camps during WW2. The Khmer Rouge murdered people wearing glasses. Biblically, when people turned away from God, worshipping idols and practicing child sacrifice, God turned his face from them, allowing their enemies to destroy them.

Sadly, this one YouTube presentation has been used to further promote pro-abortion and anti-Christian sentiment online.

Yet throughout all this sorry episode, we see the truth of God’s word shining through:

“In him [Jesus] was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5

Jesus brings life and with life there is hope. He has conquered death and sin. We can choose life, compassion, advocacy and assistance.

For those who have already untaken an abortion, God will forgive those who turn to Him in sorrow and repentance and seek forgiveness. Jesus came to seek and save. Life as a Christian is always a new beginning from the past.

God blesses a person and society that puts their trust in Him.