I blog from a bit of a different perspective when I talk about special needs.
I don’t want to try to convince everyone that Bethany is the same as me- or you.
I want to illuminate the truth that WE are like HER!
[Tweet “We are all #related- God designed- God created- fallen yet will be God restored. #humanity”]
All of us need our Creator’s touch of grace and restoration. Mankind tends to think we’re “all that and a bag of chips” but if we could see ourselves the way God sees us- we’d be shocked at our smallness and brokenness.
[Tweet “We’re all #broken and need the touch of our #Creator’s #grace to bring #wholeness.”]
Don’t we all have “special needs” that we try to compensate or hide, pretending to be “normal”?
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Perhaps our needs are measured on a different scale, but none the less, don’t we all struggle in our fallen state? We are all minute by minute perishing; going from life to dying, broken, hurting and less than perfect lives.
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[Tweet “What if God sees the whole world as a “Special Needs Population” #specialneeds ?”]
There’s a current trend- to accept that people with down syndrome are “just like you.”
But how can we
truly learn
to be inclusive
until we accept, respect, and embrace
“different”?
The truth is- Bethany is different from me- and I am different from her….
I’m not advocating for “special treatment” for Bethany-
[Tweet “We should treat everyone with #respect and special consideration- #created #GodsTreasure #humanity”]
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I’m advocating for special treatment for all God’s children-
the weak, the poor in spirit, the lost,
the broken, the hurting, the intellectually disabled,
the hopeless, the depressed, the aged,
the forgotten, the orphaned, the widowed,
the ones with special needs, the lonely, the passed over,
the misunderstood, the bullied, the divorced,
the forlorn, the abused, the throwaway people of society.
We are all in the same boat called “LIFE”
Sin has left its stain on our bodies, our minds, our spirit, our soul.
Only God can “fix” us and He does it in a big way!
He is the “master of Aggrandizing us in Gold, filling our cracks and piecing us together into a thing of useful beauty.
We see this reflected in the Japanese art of of kintsukuroi.
When we turn to our Creator-
in this life He aggrandizes our brokenness with gold tried in the fire.
But in the next life, He promises to bring perfect wholeness and healing for eternity.
Think about that for some encouragement!
Surprising Treasure: Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
We have this treasure in jars of clay, that the excellent of the power may be of God, and not of us! 2 Corinthians 4:7
In looking at the photo of the repaired cup… I think the “repaired” cracks make the vessel even more beautiful… I think the Lord agrees…
we never dreamed- 33 years ago- the journey we would “weather” together- we’re pretty “cracked up” you and I- but I see gold in you and me! Thank you Jesus for your touch!
What a powerful treasure to keep in mind, Cindy! God is especially near to the brokenhearted. Reminds me of your blog on the tear bottles and why those tears are so precious to Jesus. Makes me want to “overflow” a bit just thinking about it! Hugs, dear sister!
Thank you Edy! It never fails to move me when I consider His painstaking care of His children- I feel sorry for the people who haven’t realized they’re “broken”- it’s exhausting trying to be everything on your own. Hugs to you beautiful vessel of the Lord!
Oh, Cindy. This is powerful. Yes! Yes! I’m broken–have been broken. Am being made new. Love this post.
Thanks Julie
It’s funny- life was so difficult before I admitted how broken I was- I need Jesus to transform every area! love you dear sister!
This is so true. We are all broken and in need of repair. When we allow God to repair us we are usually stronger than before we were broken. Hugs to you.
Love you Angela- you’ve been through so much too- BUT I see and hear words of life and love coming out of you to a needy world! You’re beautiful sister!
Cindy, I clicked the link to read your post, and I smiled and said out loud, “I’m going to be touched and blessed in a special way.” I had not a clue the blessing that awaited me. WOW! Thank you! Hugs! <3
Thanks so much Rita- when I first saw this picture- it captured my heart- that if “men” can take such care to repair a broken object and aggrandize (I love that new word for me) it- then HOW MUCH MORE our Lord loves to take our brokenness and gild our imperfections.! Love you Rita!
This is really a fantastic way to look at all of God’s children!! I’m so glad I found you through Bev’s tweet. Be blessed