HandiCapable

My mind wanders to other familiar passages, most of them about weak people getting strength; you know, the whole running and leaping and praising God thing… which, in all honestly, bums me out sometimes, and I long to find someone in the Bible who didn’t experience physical healing. As I asked God to guide me, he brought to mind two people (perhaps because my faith was becoming doubly weak at the moment): Mephibosheth and Paul.

 Mephibosheth was crippled, and David called him to join his family and eat at his table. He didn’t do this because Mephibosheth was crippled, but because he loved his father. Mephibosheth didn’t get healing in his feet. He spent the rest of his life crippled, but he was loved and cared for. He got to eat and live with a king and experienced first-hand the mercy of God, who provided an awesome care-taker for him – literally, the royal treatment! And I think he felt complete because of that.

The other person is Paul, who talks a lot about his weaknesses… he brags about them because they show off God’s strength, and stuff like that. But as bad as it sounds, that passage is sounding a little too familiar to comfort me this time. God knows I need something fresh, so this is where he led me:

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” - 1 Corinthians 1:25-29 (emphasis mine)

It’s crazy to imagine, but God at his absolute weakest is stronger than the strongest man. If he gave me even the left-over scraps of his puniest strength, it would be way more than I would receive from anyone else. And from the previous verses he showed me, I realize that he doesn’t give me the scraps… he gives me his undivided attention, special treatment that caters to my specific needs on a moment-by-moment basis. So that means I get a top-heavy load of his power!

And here’s another thing: the passage says he CHOSE us. “He chose the weak things…the things that are not…” That would be me! Hallelujah, He actually LIKES disabled people! He doesn’t make ramps because of building codes, or provide personal aids because of Social Security laws… he does all this and more - he piles his own strength on top - because he wants to - because he LIKES to! That one floored me. I have a God who is more powerful than anything, and who is excited about caring for my needs – physical, emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual. I don’t need anything but him… now and forever. Praise God that I don’t have strength, but He does.

So this is all good news for me… but it’s good news for you too. After all, weakness goes deeper than muscles, and ankles and hands are only the surface of what needs empowering. What is your disability? What obstacles are holding you back from following Jesus? What help do you need right now? If you don’t know, ask God to show you, and then just ask him to take care of it - whether it’s building ramps or building bridges or breaking down walls. Don’t let these things stop you from trusting God - remember, he likes crippled people, because they get to benefit from his own strength and experience his grace.

“To him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Jude 24-25

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