Return to the M.B. Herald Vol. 35, No. 13
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I had many questions myself when I first began to minister in this field. While I had always thought of myself as being progressive and open-minded, I discovered that my understanding of Christian spirituality had actually been quite analytical and academic. Relating with people who often think very differently than I do has forced me to reexamine my own answer to the question, "Do they really have any spiritual awareness?"
One of the first characteristics that I observed about this population was that it is anything but uniform. Some can read; most cannot. Some can speak well; some cannot speak at all. Some are old; some are young. Some come from evangelical backgrounds; some do not. Some have physical challenges in addition to their developmental ones; some are in much better shape than I. How is it possible to gauge the spiritual capacity of such a diverse group?
Soon after beginning to work with this population, however, I became aware that I had been focussing on the wrong things. Literacy is not a mark of spirituality, nor is age, verbal fluency or physical health. The mark of Christian spirituality is a life that has been changed by Christ.
A little more than two years ago, a man who had been served by Bethesda passed away. (Bethesda is an Ontario MB Conference ministry to adults with developmental disabilities.) At his funeral service, many of the staff were overcome with grief. To my surprise, it was the people who were served by Bethesda who provided most of the comfort at the service. One person with moderate verbal skills came to the front of the chapel to say, "He's dead now, but he doesn't hurt any more. He's with Jesus. I'm going to miss him. God, please take care of him." Others offered hugs, prayers or words of encouragement, using the abilities that God had given them in order to share the love of Christ with their neighbours in need. "Do they really have any spiritual awareness?"
In the past year, we have begun a Christian drama group. Although the group does perform skits for larger audiences, the primary purpose of the group is to teach Bible stories and biblical principles through the medium of drama. Before the group began to work on an Easter play, I asked the group what they knew about Easter. Although the Easter bunny was mentioned once, nearly all of the answers related to Jesus. One nonverbal person raised his arms to his side to show Jesus dying on the cross. When I asked if Jesus was still dead, the response was a very loud "No" from almost everyone. My final question was, "Where is Jesus now?" Some people said "Heaven", some people pointed up to the sky, but one person pointed somewhere else. He pointed to his heart, and when he did, a huge smile erupted on his face. "Do they really have any spiritual awareness?"
People who have developmental challenges are, first and foremost, people. They experience joy, sorrow, happiness, fear and every other emotion that can be experienced. They have the capacity to grow. Most of all, they have been created in the image of God. As with all the rest of us, however, that image is a tarnished one. Only Jesus Christ can restore that image to what God intended it to be. And people who have developmental challenges are just as capable of accepting the love of Christ--or rejecting it--as anyone else.
As fellow members of God's family, Christians who have developmental challenges are the same as everyone else in that they have gifts that are to be used to build up the whole body. "Do they really have any spiritual awareness?" The answer to that question is a resounding "Yes!" I thank the Lord that He continues to use their gifts to strengthen and build up my own relationship with Him.
Jim Somerville is chaplain for Bethesda Services, a ministry of the Ontario MB Conference.
Return to the M.B. Herald Vol. 35, No. 13
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