In 1 Corinthians 12:18-19; 22-26 (NIV) we read, “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

As this paragraph suggests, God gave the weaker organs more honor than the stronger organs. Many times, as parents, we don’t accept when our kids are different. Similarly, the church doesn’t always accept that the body has different parts. Even when a human is born with a different organ, he struggles and doesn’t readily accept it. But we forget that differences are part of God’s plan to complete the work of the saints. So God made us a mixture of various parts and He gave the weaker and different parts of the body, so we can learn how to give them more honor, to acknowledge them, and to integrate them in our lives.  

God even shows, in the Bible, that he defended the defenseless people, people who may have lacked honor. In Proverbs 31:8-9, we read, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” And in Psalm 41:1 (NIV), it says “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.”

So being a member of God’s people and family, we have a responsibility to defend the voiceless and be their earthly voices.

This is what happened with me at church. Being the parent of a special needs child, at first it was hard to attend church because I was worried about people’s perspective--whether they would accept my son or get disturbed from his stimming and loud voices. But the church opened its arms to us. I recall being asked by the leader and his wife, Moufid and Jessy Tohme, to teach all the members about what “Autism” meant, how they should talk and act with my son, and how to adjust the church to our needs. I was grateful to see them stop certain things that would cause our son to have a tantrum, like loud microphones or strong lights that hurt his sensory system. I recall one time Kurt started bouncing up and down in front of the choir while they were singing, and I got so embarrassed. I rushed to pull him out of their space. I recall a leader holding me by my hand and stopping me with her words. “Betty, leave him. I wish we all jumped like that while worshiping the Lord”.

Given such reassurance and love, I eventually embraced my call to become my son’s voice and the voice of every child with special needs. I started training Campus students and we opened a Special Needs class to teach our special people about God and His ways. Gradually, the church opened a door to serving special needs families on many occasions by creating Special Need costume parties, Christmas parties, and Charity events.  

I believe change happens when everyone gets involved: the community, the church, the leaders, the parents, and the members of the body of Christ. God called us to work together and in our case, the result was having a healthier family dynamic, which helped us overcome many of our Special Need obstacles, and studying the Bible with many Special Need moms who are looking for God and His plan for their lives.

Finally, I want to encourage you sisters reading this message that people with disabilities and their families don’t only need a day of welcome; they need a lifetime of belonging. The entire family can go voiceless because of the pain they endure from their chaotic lives. I encourage the church family to listen to and meet their needs by creating plans to support Special Needs couples in their marital problems and the siblings in finding brothers and sisters to cover the gap. In other words, they need to belong, to feel that they are missed and that they have a role in church life. Belonging should be the church’s goal for the voiceless when it advocates for them.

Being part of the body of Christ means that we are not just recipients of grace but also contributors to grace. We need to discover the gifts of our Special people and use them because then the beauty of Christ’s body will be manifested.

As Matthew 25:40 (NIV) states: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”