Are Some People Useless?

As we celebrate National Down Syndrome Day, it got me to thinking about usefulness.

Face it, there are many who view some children/adults with special needs like Down Syndrome as useless.

Humans tend to look at things in a transactional way. What is the value? What is the net worth? How much is this going to cost? How much work will this require? Will I have to sacrifice my comfort?

Thankfully, God doesn’t view my worth in a transactional way. But, what if He did?

Would I measure up? How long has it taken for me to pay my way? How long has it taken me to find the path God wanted for me all along? What if He had decided I wasn’t worth the effort? What if He had said, “if you’re stupid enough to do that, you’re not worth my life?”

As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor. 1:27).

“The mystery of people with disabilities is that they long for authentic and loving relationships more than for power,” writes Vanier in Living Gently in a Violent World. “They are not obsessed with being well-situated in a group that offers acclaim and promotion. They are crying out for what matters most: love. And God hears their cry because in some way they respond to the cry of God, which is to give love.” from “Why We Need ‘Useless People’ by Amy Julia Becker. Christianity Today, 3/21/2017

Read these sentences again. “The mystery of people with disabilities is that they long for authentic and loving relationships more than for power.They are not obsessed with being well-situated in a group that offers acclaim and promotion. They are crying out for what matters most: love.”

And that is the mystery we want solved.  The why we want answered.

God creates each of us for a specific reason. Regardless of our utility or usefulness in our transactional society, each life has value to God.

God sees value in me. He wants me to help him with his work and that is how he measures my usefulness. How much love have I spread? Do I love those who are unlovely? Do I love those who don’t love me?

God transacts business using the currency of love. And when I look through God’s eyes, I see the value of handicapped/special needs children. They’re here to teach me about unconditional love. The same type of love He has given me.

Love y’all,