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