Mark Stephenson

Ben,

Yes, as Scripture teaches, our new bodies will be "sprouted" from the seeds of who we were while here on earth. And who we will be will be absolutely wonderful and made new. However, when you say, "But the new being will be so different as to be almost unrecognizable," do you mean that we will be almost unrecognizable to ourselves? Do you mean that I will lose my current identity as a male, as the husband of Bev while here on earth (though of course not married to her in heaven), as the father of our children, as one who buried one of our children and raised another who has severe disabilities? I hope not, because these are a few of the facts of genetics and of experience that God is using to make me more Christlike. I will be forever indebted to my wife for the ways that she has been helping me grow in Christlikeness, and I hope that I can carry that appreciation throughout eternity. I firmly believe that these will be part of my identity in the new heavens and earth, sprouts from which the new me will grow. I don't see anything in Scripture that suggests that I will lose all that God is making me now. I will "bear the marks" of my life in this age when I am made new in the age to come. Likewise, with all of his children, including his children who live with disabilities. We will bear the marks of our lives in this age when he makes us new in the age to come. It seems like it would be wasteful of God to throw out all that he has been making us in this age when he ushers in the age to come.

What will our "scars" look like in the age to come? They'll be beautiful. You mention the saint who was sawn in two for her faith. The scars that she will bear from her martyr's death in the new heavens and earth will add to her beauty, like the pearl in the oyster. All those ways in which God has been shaping and forming his children while here on earth will add to the beauty and richness of heaven, we'll bear these marks throughout eternity. But I certainly don't believe that we'll stop growing and that the new heavens and earth will be a static existence. We'll keep on growing in relationship with God and his people and creation. The few years we spend here on earth will be part of us in heaven, but an increasingly smaller part as we live with Christ and his people in the new creation for eternity.

Mark

John, Yes, Jesus was very clear that disabilities are not punishment for sin. But most Christians throughout church history have ignored that fact. You wrote, "I very much doubt that Lucado is suggesting that a person's sin, or lack of faith is the cause of his sickness or disability.   Do you seriously  think that  he would  be thinking that they are less Christian or less Christ-like?" Not only do I agree with you, I said the same thing, starting in the title of the blog. My point is not Lucado's intent, it's his delivery. When people get subjected repeatedly to patronizing and discriminatory comments and actions, they want it to stop. In the same way that a white person who speaks and writes about racism must bear in mind a long history of words and actions that have hurt people of color, so a nondisabled person who speaks and writes about disability must bear in mind a long history of words and actions that have hurt people with disabilities. Whether one is dealing with racism or ableism, good intentions are a good start, but they must be followed by speech and writing and action that back up those good intentions, not undercut them.

Jonny, thanks so much for the compliment. I believe firmly that our language can communicate respect or disrespect, and that means listening to how people would like to have others refer to them and respecting their preferences. So yes, the golden rule is at the heart of this post. I hope you find other helpful resources on our pages too. Here's what we're about: Disability Concerns helps churches become healthier communities that embody the whole body of Christ. Thanks for making my day and God's blessings. Mark

John, I'm sure we are very close in our thinking. Obviously, you care a great deal about the people in your life, including people with disabilities, and see them as the image-bearers of God that they are. You see the person first, as I also try to do. Regarding language, on the one hand, if we get too uptight about what we say, we'll never be able to talk about any controversial subject at all. But If we speak or write without regard to the feelings of hearers or readers, then we show disrespect, even if the disrespect is unintentional. Let's say that a company division just got a new manager, fresh with her MBA out of prestigious business school. Without getting to the know the people or the culture of that division, she immediately implements a variety of changes in the way her division works. She hasn't taken the time to listen first and build trust and respect before implementing changes. Thus, she communicates disrespect. Similarly, if someone is going to write or speak about disability, he needs to listen to some people who live with disabilities and listen to what others are saying and writing about it before diving in, otherwise, unintentionally, he communicates disrespect because he has not listened to the collective experience of others. That's my sense of what happened with this particular devotional by Lucado. Once again, he's a great writer and pastor and has done many people good through his work. But we all make mistakes. I wrote about this devotional as a teaching tool to remind all of us who speak and write that we are held to a higher standard, and we must take care, lest our words have the opposite effect of what they intend.

Ken, what do you think? How would you answer your own questions? Mark

b-ver, thanks for your comments. Here's a Wikipedia article which will help you understand what I meant when I wrote, "In fact, people who are Deaf (capital D) will tell you that not only is their deafness not a disease, it is not a disability at all."

Lorraine, thanks for the encouragement. And thanks for spreading the good words to your youth group, and many others. I've heard many people also use similar phrases like, "He is bi-polar." A phrase like that implies that his bi-polar disorder defines everything about him. I wear glasses because I have myopia, but I would not like it if people said about me, "He is myopic." Mark

Rod, thanks for sharing. Because each family situation is so different, the process of arriving at consensus is as important as the consensus arrived at. Good communication is essential, and hard when you have to talk about topics like the ones raised such as accidents, where one will die, how care will be administered and by whom. Needs so much love and prayer! Mark

Henk, thanks for your comment. It's painfully true that many people with mental illness end up in our prisons in Canada and the U.S. Sadly, when the large institutions were closed and former residents encouraged to "live in the community," many of them ended up in the streets.