All Made in the Image of God

There seems to be a problem, it’s a big problem and it’s a little rude and you might go so far as to say sometimes even cruel. Okay, here’s the problem our reactions and attitudes towards people with disabilities. This ranges from people with a visible disability to people with mental or other less visible disabilities. Often times we look at these people differently or treat them differently. Yes, we know to a degree we have to treat them differently. But on the other hand, many of these people live completely normal lives and can even do things you cannot.

Here are some examples:

Matt Stutzman was born without arms, which is a genetic disorder, but he hasn’t let that stop him. He actually loads and shoots a bow using his feet and a specially designed release on his chest. Amazing! We can’t even hit the broad side of a barn and this dude can hit a spot on the target that’s just a little bigger than a quarter!

Marla Runyan at the age of nine went legally blind. She was a national champion in the women’s 500 meter Paralympics race and was the first legally blind Paralympian to compete in the Olympics. We’re afraid to walk across a room if we can’t see, and this lady is running races.

Helen Keller was both blind and deaf, she learned to read braille and speak. She is the author of several books and wrote poetry. She was the first deafblind person ever to get a Bachelor of Arts degree and she traveled to more than 35 countries. That is amazing!

Stevie Wonder was blinded as a baby but grew up to be a well-known singer who learned to play the piano, drums, and harmonica before the age of ten. We can see and, um, struggling to learn how to play even one instrument.

Sue Thomas was the first deaf person to work as an undercover special agent doing lip-reading of suspects for the F. B. I. Her story is incredible.

Bethany Hamilton was thirteen when she lost her arm in a shark attack. Most of us know her story from watching Soul Surfer. She is one brave girl to survive a shark attack and get back in the water, pretty sure we’d never go near water again. But Bethany continues to surf and swim to this day.

There are so many other amazing stories of people with disabilities doing things that most of us can’t do. It’s so cool! Maybe they learn things differently, maybe they look different, maybe they act different, but that doesn’t mean they are any less than we are.

Disabled people are humans too. Humans with the same emotions as you. A horrified look from you could cut them to the heart, just imagine if people looked at you like you were some sort of alien. It’s not their fault they look the way they do. An averted face could be read as you can’t stand to look at them. A snarky comment could be devasting if someone is having a bad day. But do we even think about what we're doing? We stare, look away quickly, act like they are less than us. That’s not fair! They didn’t choose to be as they are, but they can teach us so much.

In light of these heroic people do we really have any room for excuses or complaints? If Matt Stutzman can shoot a bow with his feet, can we really complain about how hard it is to shoot a bow? If a deafblind person can learn to speak and get a degree in the Arts, can we really complain about school? These people are fierce! Amazing, they let nothing stand in their way. We know there were moments when they probably wanted to give up, but they pushed through. Yet we can’t seem to get past the physical or mental differences between us.

Maybe you feel awkward around them, don’t know what to do. Trust us the feeling is probably mutual. Here’s what Jesus said though.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Think about it this way. If you were the one with a disability, how would you want people to treat you? Now, pay that forward.

We’re all people, all made in the image of God. All put here for a reason and a purpose. Don’t treat someone who looks different than you, differently unless they ask you too or it’s obvious at that moment that you need to. But don’t do it in a degrading way, do it in a loving way. Don’t be rude, don’t use a Darwinism like 'the strongest will survive.' That’s not how the world works. Not even true for humans at all. We help each other. You were given a heart, a conscience, and a whole lot of kindness, so use them. We challenge you to look the next disabled person you meet straight in the eye and smile; they could use it. They need to know that not everyone flinches, or judges, or hates, because they're different. Because inside they are just like you.

Just because someone is different doesn’t mean they’re broken.