Making Friends on the Water

“People should make friends on the water,” said my 12 year old son during last week’s heatwave. I asked him why and he said “because no one can see your disability on the water and they treat you as they would treat you normally.”

Wow! What perception.  My son suffers with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy which has left him unable to walk.  He’s been using a wheelchair for the last 3 years. Last year we came up with the idea of strapping wheels under a paddle board so that we can get him in the sea.  It has worked really well so far, and we were thankful that it still worked this year.  He’s just delighted to get in the sea.

His insightful comment made me think more deeply about the barriers faced by people with disabilities.  There are the barriers that arise because of inability to walk, not being able to join in with things. Then there can be the physical barriers such as a lack of a drop down curb to cross the road, or a bin left on the pavement. There’s also the social barriers, sometimes people don’t know how to react to you when you’re in a wheelchair.

Hopefully you agree that we should include people with disabilities, but I wonder if you’ve ever stopped to think why?  In the Roman empire, survival of the fittest reigned and babies with disability were often abandoned and left to die.  What changed? Christians opposed the practice by teaching that everyone was of infinite value because they are made in the image of God.  Abandoned babies were often adopted by Christians who took this teaching to heart.  As the good news of Jesus spread across the world, cultures have been impacted for good.

When Jesus walked this earth, he seemed drawn to those with extra needs, he healed the blind, the deaf, the lame and the leprous. On one occasion, before Jesus healed a deaf man, he groaned, it’s a very interesting eyewitness detail. But why did he groan? Jesus shared our frustration with the pain and suffering in this broken world.  But he didn’t just groan, he also healed the man and gave a foretaste of how good it will be when he returns.  When the whole creation is renewed and all those who have trusted in Christ will receive resurrection bodies. 

How wonderful that day will be.  My son has a great understanding of how good this will be.  In December 2022 his dear auntie Elizabeth died.  Like him she used a wheelchair and trusted in Jesus He took the Lego figure he had made of his auntie, removed her from her wheelchair and confidently declared, “She no longer needs that!”

Until that day, we will all face different struggles. Attitudes towards disability will hopefully continue to improve, and advances in technology and medicine may help many people live fuller lives. Yet the greatest hope lies elsewhere. It rests in the promise that one day Christ will make all things new for those trusting in Him. Until then, may we follow his example by welcoming, valuing and including those around us, knowing that every person bears the image of God and has immeasurable worth.