Made in His Image, part 11

Our Future Hope

Joni Eareckson Tada is a quadriplegic. She became paralyzed from the neck down when she was in a diving accident over thirty years ago. She’s in pain every day. But she has used her disability to become a blessing to thousands of people. She started the ministry “Joni and Friends” to help those with disabilities. Joni says:

“God cares most—not about making us comfortable—but about teaching us to hate our sins, grow up spiritually, and love him. To do this, he gives us salvation’s benefits only gradually, sometimes painfully gradually.

"In other words, he lets us continue to feel much of sin’s sting while we’re headed for heaven . . . where at last, every sorrow we taste will one day prove to be the best possible thing that could have happened.” (Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Estes, When God Weeps, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997) 56.)

We not only have hope for our life here on earth, we have hope for our future life on the future earth. Those of us who have received the gift of eternal life look forward to the time when, after we die, the Lord will resurrect our bodies and will make us whole and complete, just as God intended for people to be when He created them in the beginning.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,“Behold, the tabernacle of God iswith men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and betheir God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1–4, NKJV)

Seth and I look forward to spending eternity with Buddy. Only he won’t have the difficulties he has on this present earth—his body will be strong, his mind will be strong, he’ll be able to do the things he wants to do without effort or difficulty.

Paul encouraged the people in Phillipi, that, “we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:20–21, NIV)

Joni Eareckson Tada again says,

“I still can hardly believe it. I, with shriveled, bent fingers, atrophied muscles, gnarled knees, and no feeling from the shoulders down, will one day have a new body, light, bright, and clothed in righteousness—powerful and dazzling.

"Can you imagine the hope this gives someone spinal-cord injured like me? Or someone who is cerebral palsied, brain-injured, or who has multiple sclerosis? Imagine the hope this gives someone who is manic-depressive.

"No other religion, no other philosophy promises new bodies, hearts, and minds. Only in the Gospel of Christ do hurting people find such incredible hope.” (Heaven: Your Real Home, p. 53)

“Joni once spoke to a class of mentally handicapped Christians. They smiled when she said that one day she would get a new body. But then she added, “And you’re going to get new minds.” The class erupted in cheers and applause. They knew what they most looked forward to!” (p. 301, If God Is Good)

My husband’s youngest sister, Mimi, has Down syndrome and lives with his parents. When we recently visited with them, we went out to eat. While there, I took our youngest son to the bathroom so I could change his diaper. Mimi was standing outside the stall. As I changed Cael’s diaper, I listened as she said to another lady, “Here I have something for you.” And she gave her a tract. Reading it, that lady said, “Do I know for certain that I’m going to heaven? Well, I hope so but I can’t be certain.” Mimi encouraged her to read the tract and to visit her church. She passes tracts out to just about everyone she meets without fear because she knows that people need Jesus in order to enter heaven. There’s a lot I can learn from Mimi’s boldness, and I look forward to the time in heaven when people line up before her, waiting to shake her hand, and say to her, “Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed.” And she’ll understand exactly what they mean because she’ll have a resurrected mind and body.


While we may not have the running back and valedictorian we had originally planned on (although we’re giving him every advantage), we have the child God fearfully and wonderfully made and entrusted to our care for His glory and our good—the one whom we wouldn’t trade for anything. And Buddy has indeed been a blessing to us in so many ways. He has a quick smile, an empathetic heart, a love of music, and a love of people. And we can’t imagine life without him.

If you are interested in learning more about what I’ve talked about today, let me recommend two books to you. The first is Randy Alcorn’s book If God Is Good. This is an amazingly comprehensive, yet easy to read book about God’s goodness in suffering, evil, disability.

And the second book is one that I wrote, Why Is Keiko Sick? It’s a book for children that addresses death and disease. I wrote it before Buddy was born so I don’t necessarily touch on the topic of disability, but it is relevant to what we’ve talked about today.

Let’s end by reading these verses together: “The Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:3–5 NIV).

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Made in His Image, part 10

Our Present Hope

And that brings me to my final point. I understand that having a disability—whatever it is—is not easy. I know that the suffering can be great. And that the pain can be debilitating and excruciating. And it is difficult to watch your child suffer. And that the path through life with disabilities is difficult and hard.

But there is hope.

The same God who creates the blind and the deaf and those with genetic disorders also promises that He will never leave us or forsake us.

The psalmist says, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.” (Psalm 145:17, NIV) Loving toward all He has made. Including those with disabilities.

When we received Buddy’s diagnosis, we spent several days in tears. We would wake up in the middle of the night, hoping that it was all just a bad dream. We would feel that kick in our gut all over again. But I’m convinced that it was no coincidence that the verses on the bulletin cover at our church that next Sunday were taken from this passage in Lamentations.

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,”says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:21–26, NKJV)

And we have experienced God’s grace and mercy every day. We’ve seen it evidenced in Buddy’s life, as well.

I know that the doctor visits and therapy sessions can feel overwhelming. The weight of caring for someone with disabilities can be unbearable.

Photo from Wrestling with an Angel

In response to people saying “God won’t give you more than you can bear,” Greg, a father of a severely disabled child says:

“My experience is that God will place a burden on you so heavy that you cannot possibly carry it alone. He will break your back and your will. He will buckle your legs until you fall flat beneath the crushing weight of your load.

"All the while He will walk beside you waiting for you to come to the point where you must depend on Him. ‘My power is made perfect in your weakness,’ He says, as we strain under our burden.

“Whatever the burden, it might indeed get worse, but I know this—God is faithful. And while we change and get old, he does not. When we get weaker, He remains strong. And in our weakness and humility, He offers us true, lasting transformation, and undeserved grace.” (Wrestling with an Angel, p. 14)

And God promises comfort to us when we need it.

Blessed bethe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Made in His Image, part 9

Eugenics Today

Sadly, eugenics didn’t end when the Allies conquered Hitler and the Nazis. It is alive and well today, too. One of the ways we see this is in the killing of unborn babies with disabilities, or, to use the vernacular, abortion.

Although there’s much good that can come out of prenatal testing, many parents use it to “screen” their baby.

According to one researcher, “An estimated 92 percent of all women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome choose to terminate their pegnancies,” (ttp://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_ParentingResource/down-syndrome-births-drop-us-women-abort/story?id=8960803)

Nine out of ten babies are killed while still in the womb simply because they have an extra chromosome. And how many other babies are killed because of other defects?

It doesn’t take much to extend the ability to take the lives of those with disabilities outside the womb. In fact, two bioethicists recently published a paper suggesting just that. Using the term “after-birth abortion” instead of infanticide, they argued that if it were acceptable to terminate the lives of babies in the womb because of a discovered disability, then it should be legally acceptable to take the life of a baby soon after it is born based on that same criteria.

And, of course, why stop there? Listen to British journalist Virginia Ironside discuss how she would handle a suffering child—not a pre-born baby, not a post-born baby, but a child.

And really, why stop there? Ladies, this shocks and appalls us. We’re sickened when we hear things such as this. But, this is the logical extension of denying the good, sovereign Creator God of the Bible who creates some to live with disabilities and some to live with health for His glory and for our good.

In fact, the basis for the sanctity of life is found only in the pages of the Bible. God has created each and every human in His image and He has told us that because we are all—everyone of us—image-bearers, we are not to take the lives of other image-bearers, no matter how “disabled” they are. Every child is a gift from God.

 
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Made in His Image, part 8

The Naturalistic Alternative

I hope up to this point I hope I’ve encouraged you to embrace the biblical teaching that God is always good and whatever He does is good. In fact, it’s because of His goodness and the standard He gives in His Word that we have a basis on which to declare right from wrong.

And it’s because He created two “very good” people in the beginning that we can say “This is how it should be,” “This is what God originally intended life to look like.”

I understand that it may be tempting to doubt God and His goodness when we’re put in situations like this. To return to the question I’ve been asking throughout this presentation:

“This is a problem I have wondered about—how physically imperfect newborns can be admired as "the handiwork of God," because it casts such doubt on God.”

Does disability really cast doubt on God? Should it? When we wonder about God’s goodness in these situations, we’re defining what is “good” on our terms, not God’s. Remember, God’s ways are much better and higher than ours. We need to be careful about bringing Him down to our level and defining what is “good” based on how we feel or see the world.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8, NKJV)

We need to allow God to be sovereign and good and to work all things according to the counsel of His will—within this cursed, fallen world that we’ve brought upon ourselves.

Randy Alcorn points out in his book, If God Is Good, that our definition of goodness is nothing compared to God’s.

“We argue against God’s goodness in allowing suffering, not because our goodness exceeds God’s, but because it falls so far short of it.” (p 168)

Our youngest son is eleven months old. For whatever reason, he enjoys playing in the trash. He’ll reach his little fingers up and over the lid of the trash can and grab whatever he can. Or, he’ll drop something, on purpose in there. To him, the trash can is “good.” So he’s understandably upset when I tell him no, he may not play in the trash and take his hand away from it. But the reality is that I do know better than he does in this case. I know that the trash can—what he considers good—is filled with all sorts of things that will actually do him harm—raw meat, sharp lids, egg shells . . . . I know that the trash can isn’t what is best for him.

How many times does our definition of what is “good” look like trash in the eyes of the Almighty Sovereign Ruler of the Universe whose very essence is good?

And yet, many skeptics use people with disabilities to mock God. “How can there be a good God in the face of such debilitating disabilities?” they ask.

So, ok, let’s walk down that path for a bit and see what happens when we remove God from the picture.

First, let’s examine the worldview of those skeptics. They deny there is a God and accept that we are the result of molecules-to-man evolutionary processes. According to their worldview, we are simply the result of natural processes that have operated on chemicals over billions of years. So who is to say that the way one set of chemicals combined is any better (or worse) than the way another set of chemicals combined? They have no ultimate standard by which to say that one combination is “good” while another combination is “bad." Therefore, they are unable to consistently hold the Creator accountable for doing something that they deem to be “wrong” since the concept of “wrongness” can’t logically exist in their worldview.

William Provine is an evolutionist and biology professor at Cornell University. He states, “Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary biology tells us loud and clear . . . .There is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning to life.” (Provine, W.B., Origins Research 16(1), p.9, 1994.)

Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg is an evolutionist and physics professor at the University of Texas. He states, “I think that part of the historical mission of science [and by "science" he means "molecules-to-man evolution" not operational science] has been to teach us that we are not the playthings of supernatural intervention, that we can make our own way in the universe, and that we have to find our own sense of morality.” (Interview with Steven Weinberg (PBS). http://www.counterbalance.net/transcript/wein-frame.html)

If no foundation for ethics exists and if we have to find our own sense of morality, then on what basis can they say that God is “wrong” for creating some with disabilities? These skeptics don’t have a logical basis on which to say, “God cannot be good and allow birth defects at the same time” because they don’t have a logical basis on which to determine what is “good” in the first place.

A second point that I want to make here is this. Within their own worldview, people with birth defects and genetic disorders are considered the “trial and error” of evolutionary processes.

Eugenics

In fact, this is the basis for the eugenics movement. Eugenics is a term coined in 1883 by Francis Galton, who was a cousin of Charles Darwin, the man who gave us the basis for the modern-day idea of molecules-to-man evolution. “Eugenics” refers to “good in birth” or “well born.” This was a movement in the early 1900s that sought to rid the human race of the undesirables—such as those with mental and physical handicaps—by preventing those deemed “unfit” from having children.

Dr. Purdom gives a presentation and has written a chapter for the New Answers Book 3 on this topic so I won’t go into too much detail but I do want to offer a few thoughts.

One of the most well-known proponents of eugenics was Adolf Hitler. He went further than sterilizing those with disabilities, however. The Nazis actively killed those considered to be “genetically inferior.”

We recoil in horror at what has been done to those with disabilities in the past, but getting rid of those deemed “less than” the general population is the logical extension of an atheistic, evolutionary worldview. So why would those who hold to this worldview use genetic disorders and disabilities to argue against a good God? Why would they bother to be concerned about people with genetic disorders if they’re simply a bump in the evolutionary road which evolutionary processes will eventually work out?

The concern of the skeptics about those with disabilities is inconsistent with their worldview.

And when we doubt the goodness of God or deny His sovereignty over His creation, this is the path we begin to travel down. Is that really a place we want to be?

 
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Made in His Image, part 7

The Glory of God in Disability and Suffering

I want to spend a few moments talking about what the glory of God looks like in disability and suffering. In some cases, such as the blind man we just talked about, God’s glory is clearly manifested in a big way. God received the glory when Jesus healed the man of his life-long blindness. And when He healed many others throughout His ministry.

But this doesn’t happen to everyone with a disability. God doesn’t physically heal everyone on this present Earth. And not everyone is able to be a shining example to countless millions.

So what does this look like in my situation?

Let me share with you a few quotes from those who have disabilities themselves.

If you’ve ever called to order something from Answers in Genesis, you may have had the privilege of speaking with Kevin, one of our customer service representatives. Kevin is an amazingly cheerful and friendly individual. He knows the AiG products inside and out and will quickly help you choose the products you need. But Kevin was born with cerebral palsy. It affects his legs the most. Kevin is in a lot of pain on an almost daily basis. Something as simple as walking up stairs is difficult and painful for him. I asked Kevin to share with me how he views his cerebral palsy, and he said this:

"I look at having a disability as a blessing allowing me an opportunity to share my faith in ways that someone without a disability may struggle with. Growing up, I knew that God could and would use this for His glory if I allowed him to.

"Having a disability lends itself well when the discussion goes to "Why did God allow this to happen?" It’s been an encouragement to be able to share to others. My disability is a result of sin and the curse, but I am only truly "disabled" if I don’t allow the Lord to use me."

Did you notice how Kevin views his CP? He said it is a blessing. And that he’s been able to use it to share the hope he has. Is God glorified in his attitude and in his willingness to share with others? Absolutely. The glory of God is ultimately about conforming us as individuals to the image of His son and enabling us to share with others.

Listen to this quote by Vicki Anderson. Vicki was born with hypertelorism, which is a facial abnormality. She says

“I don’t really like the phrase ‘birth defect’—it contradicts my theology. A ‘defect’ implies a mistake and I believe that God is sovereign. If he had the power to create the entire universe according to his exact specifications, then my face was certainly no challenge for him!

"If God is loving, why did he deform my face? I don’t know—maybe because with a normal face I would have been robbed of the thousands and thousands of blessings that I have received because of my deformities.

"It seems odd, but usually our greatest trial is what most molds and shapes us. It gives us character, backbone, courage, wisdom, discernment, and friendships that are not shallow.” Vicki Anderson, born with hypertelorism, a facial abnormality. (http://aboutfacenow.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_archive.html,“Hypertelorism,” accessed March 29, 2012)

Did you notice how comfortable Vicki was with accepting that her deformities came from the hand of God? She is glorifying God by submitting to His sovereignty and allowing Him to conform her to the image of His Son through her sufferings.

And now this by Nick Vuijicic. Nick was born without arms and legs.

“Due to the emotional struggles I had experienced with bullying, self-esteem and loneliness, God began to instill a passion of sharing my story and experiences to help others cope with whatever challenge they might have in their lives.

"Turning my struggles into something that would glorify God and bless others, I realized my purpose! The Lord was going to use me to encourage and inspire others to live to their fullest potential and not let anything get in the way of accomplishing their hopes and dreams.

"God’s purpose became clearer to me and now I’m fully convinced and understand that His glory is revealed as He uses me just the way I am. And even more wonderful, He can use me in ways others can’t be used.” (Nick Vujicic,http://www.epm.org/blog/2012/Mar/14/nick-vujicic-he-uses-me-just-way-i-am)

Elsewhere, he says, “If just one more person finds eternal life in Jesus Christ . . . it is all worth it.” (http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/about-nick/)

Nick hasn’t been healed from his disabilities, but he knows that God uses him just the way he is. And that using his situation to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others brings glory to God.

When we allow the disabilities and trials that come our way to increase our faith in God and grow to be more like Jesus, we bring glory to Him. To apply this to my particular situation, when I can encourage a newly diagnosed parent of a child with Williams syndrome in the Lord, I bring glory to God. When I can share with others how I view God in light of Buddy and Williams syndrome, and point them to the Creator and Savior, I bring glory to God.

The great preacher James Montgomery Boice was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2000. When he announced it to his congregation, this is what he said.

“Should you pray for a miracle? Well, you’re free to do that, of course. My general impression is that the God who is able to do miracles—and He certainly can—is also able to keep you from getting the problem in the first place. So although miracles do happen, they’re rare by definition. . . .

"Above all, I would say pray for the glory of God. If you think of God glorifying Himself in history and you say, where in all of history has God most glorified Himself? He did it at the cross of Jesus Christ, and it wasn’t by delivering Jesus from the cross, though He could have. . . . .

“God is in charge. When things like this come into our lives, they are not accidental. It’s not as if God somehow forgot what was going on, and something bad slipped by. . . . God is not only the one who is in charge; God is also good. Everything He does is good. . . . .

"If God does something in your life, would you change it? If you’d change it, you’d make it worse. It wouldn’t be as good.” Pastor James Montgomery Boice. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1452178/posts, Sermon preached on May 7, 2000 at Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA. Accessed March 29, 2012.

Eight weeks after he preached this sermon, he went to be with Jesus. How was God glorified through Dr. Boice’s cancer? He was glorified when Dr. Boice reminded people that God is always good and always sovereign. When he reminded people of who God is and encouraged them by his trust in the sovereign Creator. When, ten years later, we can still learn from and be blessed by his message on God’s sovereignty and goodness.

So let me ask you this: what does the glory of God look like in your life? In your disability? In your sufferings?

 
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Made in His Image, part 6

The Glory of God

So, why? Why does God do this? What is the purpose behind disabilities, pain, and suffering?

First, I believe that He creates everyone for a reason: to bring glory to Himself.

The Lord says to Isaiah:

Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him. (Isaiah 43:7)

And Paul writes in his letter to the people in Rome:

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)

Second, I believe He fashions us as He does for our good.

This is an oft-quoted verse, but let’s read it one more time and think about what “all things” means.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to Hispurpose. (Romans 8:28, NKJV)

All things. Disabilities, suffering, pain included. He uses these things for our good.

Let’s look at this a bit further with the example given to us in John chapter 9.

Now as Jesuspassed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (John 9:1–3, NKJV)

Let me make a quick point here. Although mutations and diseases and disabilities and suffering are part of the Curse and are the result of our sin in Adam, they aren’t necessarily a direct result of a specific sin that we’ve committed. Jesus makes this clear here. Although the man and his parents were sinners, his blindness wasn’t the direct result of a sin that they had committed.

So why was he blind? Why does God make us—every one of us—the way He does? So that the works of God might be displayed in his life.

Imagine for a few moments being the parents of the man born blind. How many times from the time they found out their son was blind did they pray, “Please, God, use this for your glory.” Or how many times did they say, “We don’t know why our son is blind, but we know that God can and will use Him as a testimony for Himself and to draw others to Him.” Or, how many times did they cry out to God,“Why, God? Why did you make our son blind?” And then imagine their joy when Jesus healed him and used him to display the work of God. “Ah,” they said. “So that’s why.”

But it didn’t stop there. Two thousand years later, we’re still reading about this man and learning from his situation. For two thousand years, the testimony of the man who was born blind has been encouraging and blessing people.

And think further about all of the other people with disabilities that we read about in the gospels whom Jesus healed—the lame, the blind, the deaf, the lepers, those in immense pain. What purpose did their suffering serve? It allowed Jesus to demonstrate His deity to those around Him at the time. And to countless millions who have read and believed those accounts in the two thousand years that have since passed. Do you think the lady with the bleeding problem ever imagined while she was suffering through her problems that she would be an example of faith to so many for so long?

To relate this specifically to our son and his genetic disorder diagnosis, I believe that he (and each of us) is part of God’s plan to bring Himself glory in some way—genetic mutations and all.

 
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Made In His Image, part 5

The Goodness of God

Does this make God an ogre or less than completely good? Not at all. Because His very nature is good. Let me remind you what the Bible teaches about God’s goodness.

Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. (Psalm 25:8, NKJV)

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8, NKJV)

The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies areover all His works. (Psalm 145:9, NKJV)

So He [Jesus] said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. . . .”(Matthew 19:17, NKJV)

There’s a mantra in Christendom that goes like this: God is good, all the time. Many times, Christians toss out that phrase, when for example, they were in a car accident and survived without any bodily harm. I am safe, they say, God is good. And yet, wouldn’t God still be good if the opposite were the outcome? If they had been badly hurt or even died? God would still be good.

We tend to talk about God’s goodness when things are going “good” for us—good as we define it. But He is good all the time. And whatever He does is good. This shouldn’t be a phrase that we just use when things are going our way or according to what we define as “good.” This should be ingrained in our hearts and minds so that we really do see God as good all the time.

Randy Alcorn, in his book If God Is Good, writes:

“To say that God is good is not to say that God will always appear to be good, or that when he is good we will always like him for it.” (p. 166)

He makes an additional point about God’s goodness.

“We define our good in terms of what brings us health and happiness now; God defines it in terms of what makes us more like Jesus.” (p. 289)

So, to return to the question I mentioned before: “This is a problem I have wondered about—how physically imperfect newborns can be admired as "the handiwork of God," because it casts such doubt on God.”

If physically imperfect newborns are notthe handiwork of God, then we are denying they are human. We need to allow God to be God—and God to be a sovereign and good God—all the time and in all situations. And to operate as He chooses within this cursed, fallen world that we’ve brought on ourselves. Including when He fearfully and wonderfully creates a baby that we consider “less than perfect.”
 
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Made In His Image, part 4

The Specific Sense

When we study God’s Word, we see that God, as the Creator, is sovereign over His creation. This means He is in control of His creation. He is not a laissez-faire, or hands-off, deity that wound up his creation and now lets it go as it pleases. He created it in the beginning and is still actively involved in sustaining His creation.

Let’s take a look at a few verses.

O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? (Deuteronomy 3:24, NKJV)

And in Chronicles, we read:

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that isin heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand ispower and might;
In Your hand it isto make great
And to give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 29:11–12, NKJV)

And then from Nebuchadnezzar, that pagan king of Babylon:

And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom isfrom generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth.
No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?” (Daniel 4:34–35, NKJV)

And Nehemiah writes:

You alone are the Lord;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You. (Nehemiah 9:6, NKJV)

These are just a few of the verses that let us see God’s sovereignty and teach us that He is in control. In fact, the message of His sovereignty is woven throughout the entire Bible.

Do these verses help you see how big God is? We don’t serve an impotent deity who is unable to accomplish His purposes or whose hands are somehow tied. We serve the living Creator of the universe who is in active control of His creation. The winds and waves obey Him. The sun rises and sets on His command. The stars move through their courses, doing His will.

God is sovereign over His entire creation—from the farthest star in the farthest galaxy to my little life in a small house on planet Earth. And just as God is in control of the intricate workings of the universe, I believe He is also in control of the intricate workings of conception.

God takes credit for forming the prophet Jeremiah just as He wanted him to be.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, NKJV)

And David praises God for making him fearfully and wonderfully.

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them. (Psalm 139:13–16, NKJV)

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb isa reward. (Psalm 127:3, NKJV, emphasis added)

From studying verses such as these in the Bible, we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God is the author of life. He forms each one of us and knits us together while we are still in the womb. And we use these verses with our healthy children—you were fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving Creator God, we say.

And yet, if God is the author of the lives of those with relative health, mustn’t we also say that God is the author of the lives of those who aren’t completely healthy and have physical, mental, or emotional problems?

Because of these teachings, and I want to be careful to allow God’s Word to teach me and not impose my ideas on Scripture, I can’t escape the thought that we are who we are—genetic mutations and all—as the result of God’s handiwork. In this more individualized sense, God gave our son (and each one of us) a specific genetic combination, which in our son’s case, included a deletion of part of one of his chromosomes. The world may call it a “spontaneous” mutation, but I call it a providential one.

Let me add a few caveats. I understand that our actions have consequences and, in some cases, the actions of parents before the conception and birth of their child can have dire consequences on the baby. For example, if a mother consumes too much alcohol, her baby can be born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Or, something may happen to the baby while she is developing that results in life-long disabilities, such as happened with my cousin, Karen, who was born with hyrdrocephalus. The doctors didn’t catch it until she was three months old, leaving her severely disabled. She is unable to talk and spends most of her time in a wheelchair. However, I want to be clear that, even in these cases, God is still the ultimate author of that life and He is in control.

Let me add this thought, as well. The genetic mutation that pervades each cell of our son’s body has effects that can be seen more apparently—from his facial features to his heart and kidney problems to his learning disabilities. Yet each one of us is suffering from 6,000 years of the curse. In fact, which one of us would say that we have a completely perfect body and mind? Our problems may not be as apparent as Buddy’s but we have them just the same.

So at what point – or how many mutations – or which specific mutations separate the “normal” people from those with“disorders”? If we’re not prepared to say that God created and fashioned each and every person, at what point do we say, “Yes, you manifest the handiwork of God but you don’t”? How many mutations make someone abnormal?

Let me go a bit further.

When God called Moses to go to the Egyptian pharaoh and ask for the release of His people, Moses made excuses for why he couldn’t go by pointing out to his Creator that he was “slow of speech and slow of tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? (Exodus 4:11, NIV).

In this passage, God is taking credit for making some people blind and some deaf. Reflect on that a moment. Godis taking credit for making some people blind and some people deaf. It’s no great extrapolation to also include that God creates some with genetic disorders and other things we consider “defects.”


Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Made in His Image, part 3

The General Sense

First, I want to address this from a general perspective. These questions deal with that age-old question of “Is God the author of pain and suffering?” And Ken Ham will talk about this in greater detail in the next session. But let me offer this brief explanation.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth is six actual days. When He finished, he said that everything was “very good.” His creation was a reflection of His good nature. It was full of life and joy, just as He is.

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31, NKJV)  

I believe He designed the universe so that everything would work together for His glory and our good. In the Psalms, David writes:

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)

As God created the first man Adam in His image from the dust of the ground, He gave the first man (and a short while later, the first woman) a “very good” combination of DNA. He encouraged them to be fruitful and multiply. And had things stayed the way they were in the beginning, that “very good” genetic combination would have continued combining in “very good” ways as Adam and Eve brought forth children.  

But, by studying Genesis 3, we know that things did not stay the way they were in the beginning. God had told Adam that he was free to eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden, except one: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God declared that the punishment for disobedience was death. Adam disobeyed God’s command and ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And as a result, God placed a curse on His beloved creation—the just punishment for the commitment of high treason against the Creator of the universe.

The culmination of the Curse is separation from God forever through death. As accompaniments to death, we have pain, suffering, disease, and . . . genetic disorders. In this more general sense, Williams syndrome (along with all the various other genetic disorders and disabilities) isn’t God’s fault. Genetic mutations (including spontaneous deletions on part of the seventh chromosome), disabilities, suffering, and pain are a result of no longer living in a “very good” world. So, did God create Williams syndrome in this sense? No—we, sinners in the hands of a holy God, are the responsible parties. However, there’s a more specific sense that I need to address, as well.

 
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Made in His Image, part 2

The Diagnosis 

Before I answer this lady’s question, let me continue with a bit more about our son. After we visited with the cardiologist, we met with several other specialists for a variety of other reasons—a GI nurse because he was diagnosed as “failure to thrive”; an urologist because he had several urinary tract infections, an endocrinologist, radiologist . . . I once calculated that of the 45 disciplines that our local children’s hospital featured, we had been to over a quarter of them within the first nine months of Buddy’s life. In fact, when we requested his medical records when he turned three, they sent them on a CD-ROM because there were over 500 pages of records on him.

When Buddy was nine months old, we visited with a geneticist, who did some blood tests to find out if there was an underlying condition that would explain all the problems he’d been having. The geneticist diagnosed our son with a rare genetic disorder called Williams syndrome. Williams syndrome is caused by a deletion of about 25 genes on the seventh chromosome and can lead to physical and cognitive disabilities. With this particular syndrome, the mutation is, in medical jargon, “spontaneous”—meaning that neither my husband nor I are carriers of the disorder.

With this diagnosis, our lives took a sudden detour from the path we thought we were traveling. In the few seconds it took for the geneticist to say, “Yes, he has Williams syndrome,” we went from being parents of a potential NFL running back to being parents of a child with special needs—a child with potentially life-threatening physical problems, developmental delays, and learning disabilities.

How many of you have experienced a diagnosis like this? Whether yourself or your child or a family member or friend? I expect that we’ve all been exposed to some type of disability at some point in our lives.

Those of you who have received such a diagnosis know how it feels to be told you are not on the path of life you thought you were on. In a very real way, you go through a grieving process as you mourn the loss of the child you thought you had and come to grips with the child you now have.

Someone compared the experience to planning a trip. Having a baby is like planning a trip to Italy. You spend months and months deciding what you’ll see, where you’ll go, which places you’ll visit. You research the Sistine chapel, the canals of Venice, the leaning tower of Pisa. And you can’t wait to get there. But when you arrive, the airline attendant says, “Welcome to Holland!” Holland? But I was supposed to go to Italy. I didn’t plan for Holland. But you’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The diagnosis left us reeling. We began thinking of his future in a different way—would he struggle to learn? Would he be teased for being different? Would he be able to drive a car? Get a job? Have meaningful relationships? Would he be in our care for the rest of his life?

But one thing the diagnosis didn’t do was cause us to doubt God or His goodness. I say this, not to pat ourselves on the back, but instead to credit our parents and those in our past who taught us who God is and why life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect it to. We shouldn’t wait until times of crisis come to develop a proper understanding of our God. We should be cultivating it throughout our lives and throughout the lives of our children and those in our care.

As you can imagine, we began researching all things pertaining to Williams syndrome. And thanks to the blessings of social networking, we’ve been able to make “friends” with other Williams syndrome parents and learn from those who have walked where we are currently walking. In trying to understand how things like genetic disorders fit into a Christian worldview, one of those parents, a Christian herself, posed this question, “Did God create Williams syndrome?”

Or, to return to the question asked before, “This is a problem I have wondered about—how physically imperfect newborns can be admired as "the handiwork of God," because it casts such doubt on God.”

It’s a valid question. As Christians who embrace a life-affirming worldview, we often discuss how beautifully designed the human body is—a masterpiece of God’s creation. We know that we are “fearfully and wonderfully” made. So how does a child with a genetic disorder (or any “problem”) fit into this worldview? How do we reconcile the goodness of God with what is happening in our lives?

Let me walk you through how I answered these questions in our situation.


Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Made in His Image, part 1

I recently had the privilege of speaking at a women's conference under the title of "Made in His Image: Understanding Disabilities from a Biblical Perspective." Seems an odd topic to speak on at a conference for women, doesn't it? But there you have it -- that's what I was asked to present and so that's what I did.

I've spent a lot of time gathering my thoughts and putting them on paper (or screen) and thought I might post the transcript here for those who weren't able to attend the conference and who care what I have to say. There's a lot more that I wanted to say that didn't make it in because I was limited to an hour of speaking time and didn't think the ladies would appreciate my pulling an all-nighter on them.

I won't share the entire transcript in one post because it's too long and no one likes to read long posts (the presentation was about 55 minutes long). So, stay tuned for more over the next few days. I invite your thoughts and comments as I go along.

Made in His Image: Understanding Disabilities from a Biblical Perspective

Introduction

I’d like to thank my friend for asking me to share with you today. I appreciate the opportunity the Lord has given me to share some things on my heart with you. I want to spend our time together telling you a little about myself and my family and the path through life the Lord has placed us on, and wrestling through some tough God questions that we’ve encountered along our journey.

I grew up in a Christian home and the Lord graciously saved me from my sins at an early age. My parents are people who love the Lord and who are committed to His Word. There were many times when they would ask me, “Have you prayed about it?” and “What does the Bible say about it?”

After I graduated from college, almost fifteen years ago, I began to work with Answers in Genesis. Ten years ago, I met and, six months later, married my husband Seth.

We struggled with infertility for several years before I became pregnant with our first baby. Like most parents, we were thrilled and began dreaming about our baby’s future. When our son was born in 2008, Seth was sure he would be a star running back in the NFL and I knew that we had a future valedictorian on our hands.

And then the doctor visits began.

From the beginning of his life, Buddy struggled to eat, to sleep, to gain weight. So we were back and forth to our pediatrician’s office many times during those first few months. When he was two months old, our pediatrician heard a heart murmur in Buddy and sent us to the local children’s hospital where the pediatric cardiologist diagnosed him with a condition called supravalvular aortic stenosis. That means that there’s something wrong with a section of his aorta.

Let me stop here and talk a little about the aorta. Now, I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on TV, but I do want to share with you some amazing features about the aorta.

Photo courtesy of iradonline.com

After your heart pumps your blood to your lungs to pick up the oxygen your body needs, it brings it back through the heart and sends it out to the rest of your body through the aorta.

The aorta is the largest artery in your body. It carries and distributes oxygen rich blood to all the rest of your smaller arteries throughout your body.

The walls of the aorta consist of three layers of connective tissue and elastic fibers. These fibers allow the aorta to stretch to prevent over-expansion due to the pressure that is exerted on the walls by blood flow.

There’s a valve that allows the blood to enter the aorta and keeps it from flowing back into the heart. Isn’t that amazing? Doesn’t the way this aorta is structured – its ability to stretch and contract—just scream “there is a Designer!”? When we look at this, it’s easy for us, as Christians and those who believe God is the creator, to say, “Yes, of course, there’s a good, loving God who designed it all!”

But what happens to God’s goodness when a baby, our son, is born with an aorta that is constricted? Supravalvular aortic stenosis. Supravalvular meaning “just above the valve” and stenosis, meaning “constricted.”

You can imagine what happens when a section of your aorta becomes too constricted. Many babies with this condition undergo open heart surgery to correct it within the first few months of their lives. And some need multiple surgeries. Just since the beginning of this year, I’ve known about a dozen children who have had this operation. And there are many others waiting to find out when they’ll need to have theirs repaired. So far, Buddy hasn’t needed the surgery but we don’t know what will happen in the future.

In response to this, one lady said, “This is a problem I have wondered about—how physically imperfect newborns can be admired as "the handiwork of God," because it casts such doubt on God.”

She has a point. We routinely point to God’s handiwork in our children—they are fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator, right? So do “imperfections” really cast doubt on the Creator?

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Bike riding

While my parents were here recently, they were able to get Buddy to ride his bike on the smooth floor of our pole barn (he's been riding his trike for several months but hasn't been able to get the pedals going on the bike). But he's resisted riding it on the rougher surface of our lane.

This afternoon, he finally let me take the bike out of the barn and put it on the lane so he could ride it. Because of the loose gravel and stones, it's a bit more difficult for him, but he did a great job and really liked it. (We're working up to wearing a helmet.)

EEG results

We visited with the neurologists at our children's hospital to find out the results on the EEG Buddy had last month.

The EEG didn't show any seizure activity, but according to the neurologist, they usually have to induce a seizure through hypoxia caused by hyperventilation -- something they don't do with children as young as Buddy. So, she wasn't surprised that the EEG was negative. However, based on my descriptions of what I've seen Buddy doing (blanking out, not responding for short periods of time), she said he was definitely experiencing absence seizures and that, even though I was only seeing a few episodes per week, he could be experiencing anywhere from 2-100 seizures each day.

She also said, in answer to my question, that while some seizure activity is associated with the hypercalcemia those with Williams syndrome can have, absence seizures are not necessarily associated with WS. So this is something in addition to WS that we're now dealing with. (As far as we know, Kieran's calcium levels are in the normal range.)

So, for the course of treatment, the doctor prescribed one of three anti-seizure medications: ethosuximide, valproate, or lamotrigine. Getting him on a daily dose of one of these medicines (the recommended is valproate) was a no-brainer for both neurologists we talked to. It helps to control the seizure activity which would otherwise interfere with his overall development (imagine the problems you would have concentrating and learning if your brain were seizing up 200 times each day).

For us, however, the decision will take a bit more time. The side effects, of course, of the medicines are a concern for us. So, we'll be looking into each of them a bit more, asking the Lord for wisdom, and then making a decision based on what we think will be best for Buddy.