A Theological Consideration

This letter came from our friend Kathy, who is a part of YL Canada. We thought this was a beautifully thoughtful letter. As you read it, have you considered this view point before? We recognize that there may be a variety of theological point of views on this and appreciate Nancy Eisland's as one many of us without disability have not considered.

Praying friends,

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”       Rev 21:4  

I’ve just started reading this book entitled “Becoming Friends of Time. Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship. by John Swinton” and it is rocking my world. Growing up with a brother with a disability and now being so heavily involved in Capernaum I feel like my sense towards disability is quite progressive. But then I read a book like this and am humbly forced to realize how small my mindset really is.  

There is a chapter where the author discusses the well-known Scripture quoted above. We assume, as able-bodied people, that the passage means our worldly struggles like sadness or hurts that we’ve encountered, legs that don’t work, minds that don’t process properly and the like will all pass away and we will be able to leap and jump and praise Jesus altogether. Or at least I will admit that I did.   

But when I read this next bit I had to step back and check myself. Listen to this: For some people with disabilities such as the sociologist and theologian Nancy Eiesland, some of the former things, namely her disability, will not pass away in heaven. Quite the opposite; for Eiesland it is vitally important that her disability remain with her in her resurrection body. Without it, she believes she could not recognize herself.

My disability had taught me who I am and who God is. What would it mean to be without this knowledge? Would I be absolutely unknown to myself in heaven and perhaps even unknown to God?

Wow. This speaks directly to the truth that people with disabilities are not broken. They don’t need to be fixed or turned in to something that society has decided is valuable.  In fact, Nancy would say that her disability is what made her whole. She knows God in a deep and precious way not in spite of her disability but BECAUSE of her disability.  And she doesn’t want to lose that in heaven.   

We need people with disabilities in our lives and in our ministries. Nancy knows Jesus in a way that I might never understand and she could teach us much about faith and hope. She would be able to communicate God’s perfect love in a way that I might never be able to. I know this to be true because of the small examples I have seen in our Capernaum club. No one has joy like my friend Tess. I have yet to meet someone who can remember details about me and help me feel loved because of it like my friend Brock. My friend Brianna faced a real fear at camp that many would consider silly, and I saw other girls watch her as she did. They saw what it meant to struggle and be accepted in those struggles.  

I am convinced that as we move towards including people of all abilities in Young Life we will see a huge difference in how all teens feel and experience God. And I’m convinced this is true in our own lives as well. These friends know Him in a way that many of us can’t understand and show us in ways we don't expect. I can’t wait to see how God changes us, changes me, through these precious people.   

Amen!