Disability Is Nothing To Fear
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada on this week that we honor the sanctity of life.
And I’m happy that Shauna Amick is with us. Shauna, thanks for joining me.
SHAUNA: Happy to be here.
JONI: Absolutely. And you will recall, friend listening, that Shauna serves at Joni and Friends; she’s the mother of Sarah, a special needs child; and is very passionate about pro-life issues, right?
SHAUNA: I sure am, Joni. And you know that means pro-life goes beyond protecting a pre-born child in the mother’s womb; it also means protecting and supporting that child with disability once he or she is born. And, you know, I hate to have to say this, but I’ve had to fight for my Sarah’s well-being time and time again.
JONI: Like how?
SHAUNA: Well, it could be in a medical setting, her educational services, her health. And it wears me down, Joni; it’s hard. And I’m just thinking, if it’s hard here in the United States – oh, how difficult must it be in other nations. And I know you’ve seen that first hand.
JONI: I really have. I recall clearly when I was in Ghana West Africa; I was speaking at a pastor’s conference, and I was talking about the importance of embracing kids with disabilities in the church family and, of course, it raised a lot of questions. Some of these pastors had not quite broken free of their culture that insists, you know, disability is a curse from the animist spirits or a bad omen from witch doctors. Other pastors were still under the impression that a child born with Down syndrome is evidence of sin or evidence of wrong doing in the family’s life.
SHAUNA: Right. I know they sometimes think that disability is God’s judgment, or His punishment. That’s like what we read in John chapter 9 where the Pharisees assumed that exact thing when they asked Jesus if a certain man had been born blind because of his sin or his parents’ sin.
JONI: Exactly. Exactly. And that twisted view is honestly, it’s more prevalent than we realize. And so that conference in Africa spawned so many questions. But one pastor came up to me afterward with a heartbreaking confession. He had been listening; he had learned a lot; he had seen from Scripture, he was convinced – yes, God seems to be sovereign over disabilities when they happen; and that all people, all children, no matter how severely disabled, are created in the image of God. This pastor heard all that. It had sunk in. And so he came up to me with a story that moved me so deeply. He shared that, many years ago, when his sister was born, everyone loved on her. That is, until, it became clear that something was wrong. His little sister wasn’t developing right. She wasn’t walking when most toddlers were supposed to. She couldn’t grasp things. Looking back, she probably had cerebral palsy. But it didn’t matter. When it was discovered that this little girl was permanently disabled, her father – this pastor’s father – wrapped the child in a blanket; took her out far into the forest; put her down on the ground and just left her there to die.
SHAUNA: What did this pastor say about all that?
JONI: Well, he was in tears, understanding now, so many years later, that his sister was not a product from a jungle curse; no, she was created in the image of God.
SHAUNA: And, Joni, that’s why I love working for this ministry so much. Because it’s through our global outreach, right? Joni and Friends is literally changing the way people view disability. I mean, hallelujah! We’re changing all those cultural taboos. And I’d love to offer our listeners today a booklet I’ve written; it’s called “From Fear to Hope.” Because whether we live in America or in Africa – anywhere – we have nothing to fear when a disability becomes part of the family mix.
JONI: Oh, great, Shauna. So friend, visit Joniradio.org and ask for your free copy of “From Fear to Hope.” It’s all part of celebrating the sanctity of life this month and always. God bless you today, and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends!
© Joni and Friends
From Fear to Hope
After learning through ultrasound that her daughter, Sarah, would be born with Down syndrome and a potentially fatal heart defect, Shauna Amick cried out to God in desperation. In this little booklet, Shauna shares about how God met her in her desperation and miraculously granted her a new perspective. As you read her story, you will be inspired to move from fear to hope in whatever difficult circumstances you may be facing.
