The Bible and Those with Special Needs

I am the adoptive father of three special needs children. My oldest son (5) was born 14 weeks premature. His birth-mother had used a variety of prescription and illegal drugs during his short time in her womb; his doctors described his birth-mother as a “poly-user.” We praise God he wasn’t exposed to her poor choices full-term, but the drugs took their toll anyway. As a result of the cascading effects of his prematurity and drug exposure, he had a heart defect that required surgery at 10 days old to correct, has retinopathy of prematurity which has left him functionally blind in one eye and caused a significant loss of peripheral vision, and has Sensory Processing Disorder. Our daughter (2 ½) had a birth-mother who used crystal meth throughout her pregnancy; causing our daughter to be born addicted to the junk. Today, she struggles with ADHD and some other sensory issues and delays. Our youngest son (18 months) lived in a group home with a birth mother who had used crystal meth until her second trimester. Though his birth-mother is clean now, the effects of the group home situation left him small (failure to thrive) and suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He doesn’t know how to relate to others and stresses easily and for no identifiable reasons.

As a theologian and pastor, I began to search the Scriptures, shortly after the birth of my oldest child, to find out what God has to say, specifically, about special needs children. What I learned was both interesting and, honestly, a bit disheartening. Here’s what I learned.

God Is in Control

Not much is said in either Testaments about special needs children, let alone those with disabilities in general. The interchange between Moses and YHWH at the burning bush in Exodus 4 is, however, particularly informative. Exodus 4:11 states that YHWH asked Moses a leading question that should help us draw a conclusion about those with special needs, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” The temptation for those without faith, or those whose faith has weakened, is to blame God for what is “wrong” with special needs. Rather, God is reminds us that special needs are part of the Divine plan for that individual and those surrounding them. How effective would Moses have been had he not had a speech impediment? Not very, I suspect. Due to his special need, Moses learned to rely totally on God’s power rather than his acumen, and had Aaron to be his spokesman – giving him an air of authority before Pharaoh to boot.

The Apostle Paul was reminded that his physical disability was part of the plan of God for him too when God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Whatever his disability, it kept him humble and taught him to rely on God’s grace for everyday life.

I think one of the best examples of God’s sovereignty among those with disabilities is to be found in John 9:3 where Jesus answered the disciples’ question regarding whose fault it was that a man had been born blind. He said, “…but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” God sovereignly allowed this man to be born with a visual disability so that Jesus might display God’s glory by healing the man (cf. Matt. 15:31).

God allows suffering in those with disabilities, and those who love and care for them, for a reason. Paul reminded the Romans, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (5:3-5). God allows mental, emotional, and physical disabilities so that we might learn to rely on His grace and become strong, stronger even than those who do not suffer in the same manner. I have already seen this in my children. They all have strong wills. They are survivors who thrive despite their special needs. While this is a challenge to parenting at times, I can only imagine the strength of character that awaits them when they reach adulthood and the impact their lives will have on the world.

World’s View & God’s View

The author of Ecclesiastes says repeatedly that there is nothing new under the sun. Truer words have never been spoken with regard to people with special needs. The question asked by the disciples in John 9:2, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” betrays the sentiment of the day. It was assumed that either the special needs person was being punished for his own sin or that of his parents. I can understand the sentiment and have even asked God why my children must suffer for the stupidity of their mothers. When it comes to children suffering for the poor choices of their parents, I am reminded that sin always has consequences. It may seem unfair for children to be born with special needs as a result of their mothers’ poor choices, but God has allowed it for a reason – ultimately to glorify Himself and build a strength of character in that child that is unsurpassed in “typical children.”

Unfortunately, the larger view of society, regardless of our current politically correct atmosphere, is still one that minimizes and marginalizes those with special needs. But that has never been God’s will among His people. God commanded both Old Testament Israel and the New Testament Church to treat those with special needs with respect and care; ministering to them rather than marginalizing them. “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:14). “On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴ which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵ that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 12:22-26). “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…” (James 1:27).

Those who claim to be Christians ought to treat those with special needs as who God has created them to be – people worthy of respect and value.

Ministry Must Be Rethought

Ministry to special needs people, particularly children with special needs, can be difficult. Yet, I believe the Church is missing out on a rich and deeply life-changing ministry when they do not give serious attention to those with special needs. It may not always be appropriate or possible to mainstream every person or child with special needs. Does that mean they should be ignored? That they too don’t have spiritual gifts, talents, and experiences that should be cultivated for the benefit of the entire Body? No, but to our shame they too often get ignored. What about their parents? I can speak from firsthand experience that parenting a child with special needs – regardless of their functional level – is never easy. It’s stressful, heartbreaking, and often lonely. Too many churches fail to help those of us working very hard to raise our very special little ones. James said that “religion that is pure and undefiled” involves ministry to orphans and widows “in their affliction” (James 1:27). Paul reminds us that those in the church who appear to be our weakest members are more greatly honored by God than all others (1 Cor. 12:23). It is incumbent upon modern ministry that we rethink those with special needs.

The Bible doesn’t say much about those with special needs, but what it does say is powerful. God help us to think biblically about our special needs friends and loved ones.