Be a Shining Light:

See People with Disabilities as Jewels that Sparkle

By Babs Kincaid

God has a big heart of compassion for the people the world calls less than or inferior because of their disabilities. For example, God chose Moses to be the dynamic leader of Israel to deliver them out of slavery from Egypt to freedom. God chose Moses, a man with a speech defect to take on a crucial leadership role for the nation of Israel! Israel had been in slavery for 400 years in Egypt! According to Peter Machinist “And when God commands Moses to free the Israelites from Egypt, and Moses protests his competence to challenge the Pharaoh because of a speech defect—a “heaviness of mouth and heaviness of tongue” as the text says (Exodus 4:10)—this defect is turned, by God, into the basis of a new arrangement, wherein Aaron shall do the speaking, and Moses will direct him as though he were God Himself (Exodus 4:16).” Check it out from God’s play book “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” 1 Corinthians 1:27 According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance the Greek word for weak (772) means “without strength, and more feeble.” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the Greek word for mighty (2478) means forcible, powerful, strong and valiant.” So God’s merciful heart did not select a mighty warrior to fulfill this dangerous mission, but someone who had a significant weakness. The cool part of this story is that despite his weakness, Moses with God’s help rose to the occasion and bravely got the job done! Listen to the historical summary in God’s word: “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt-to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” Deuteronomy 34:10-12 What a miraculous achievement! Yea God!!!                                                                             

There are moments in life that take your breath away and one of those involves a child I know with downs syndrome. David was 5 ½ years old at the time and one particular morning after breakfast he clearly said to his mom, “Babs' arm.” His mom Lisa knew that meant that Babs needed prayer for her arm. It was customary for Lisa to do devotions with her children after breakfast. Lisa is a prayer warrior and part of our Sunday prayer team at Calvary Church in Jupiter, Florida. I had broken my arm and Lisa had been praying for me. The remarkable miracle in that story is I have never been to Lisa’s house and I have only seen David a handful of times at church. The fact that he would have remembered my broken arm and need for prayer was a Heaven drop directly from God! God used a precious child David with a disability to highlight my need for prayer! I struggled with a lot of pain during my healing process, so I was extremely grateful for the prayer. When Lisa told me the story, it brought tears to my eyes!!! God’s big heart was moved to use a small child with a disability to help me at my critical point of need! Listen to this heartwarming narrative from God’s word: “Then the little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these,” Matthew 19:13-14 No wonder God uses little children with disabilities to significantly minister to people in need! Yea God!

What I took away from those two real-life stories, is that Almighty God as a creative genius sees people with disabilities as jewels that can sparkle. “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b When we discount people with disabilities we are missing the mark with God. Check it out from God’s word: “To show partiality in judging is not good.” Proverbs 24:23b God has called us to show honor and value to all people.

I find it fascinating that individuals with autism have exceptional giftedness from God that other people do not have. “Some of the strengths you may see in people with autism – Adapted from A Parent’s Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome and High Functioning Autism by Sally Ozonoff, Geraldine Dawson, and James McPartland:

■ Strong visual skills

■ Ability to understand and retain concrete concepts, rules, sequences and patterns

■ Good memory of details or rote facts (math facts, train schedules, baseball statistics)

■ Long-term memory

■ Computer and technology skills

■ Musical ability or interest

■ Intense concentration or focus, especially on a preferred activity

■ Artistic ability

■ Mathematical ability

■ Ability to decode written language (read) at an early age (but not necessarily comprehend)

■ Strong encoding (spelling)

■ Honesty

■ Problem-solving ability (when you cannot ask for something you want, you can get pretty creative about getting your hands on it yourself.)”

       Wow, that is quite an impressive list of attributes that I would even love to have in my wheelhouse of credits! Some of the celebrated individuals with autism who have or are making a difference in this world from Famous Autistic People in History from http://www.appliedbehavioranalysisprograms.com/historys-30-most-inspiring-people-on-the-autism-spectrum/ include the following individuals:

§  Hans Christian Andersen – Children’s Author

§  Lewis Carroll – Author of “Alice in Wonderland”

§  Albert Einstein – Scientist & Mathematician

§  Bobby Fischer – Chess Grandmaster

§  Bill Gates – Co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation

§  Thomas Jefferson – Early American Politician

§  Steve Jobs – Former CEO of Apple

§  Michelangelo – Sculptor, Painter, Architect, Poet

§  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Classical Composer

§  Sir Isaac Newton – Mathematician, Astronomer, & Physicist

§  Jerry Seinfeld – Comedian

§  Satoshi Tajiri – Creator of Nintendo’s Pokémon

§  William Butler Yeats – Poet

          It is intriguing to me that individuals with ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) also have unique giftedness from God that bears recognition. According to Bob Seay from an article in ADDitude Magazine here is a list of what to love about ADD:

v Insomnia makes for more time to surf the web

v The drive for hyperfocus

v Resiliency

v A sparkling personality

v Generosity with money, time, and resources

v Ingenuity

v A strong sense of what is FAIR

v Willingness to take a RISK

v Making far-reaching analogies that no one can understand

v Spontaneity

v You have a “Ferrari” brain, but with “Chevy” brakes

v Pleasant and constant surprises due to finding clothing or money you forgot about

v Being funny

v Being the last of the romantics

v Being a good conversationalist

v An innate understanding of intuitive technologies such as computers or PDA’s

v Honestly believe that anything is possible

v Rarely being satisfied with status quo

v Compassion

v Persistence

v Joining the ranks of artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and other creative types

v Always being there to provide a different perspective.

v Willingness to fight for what you believe in.

v Excellence in motivating others

Be surprised at this list of some well-known people with ADD or ADHD:

Walt Disney – founder of Disneyland

Michael Phelps – Olympic gold medalist

Michael Jordan – Basketball star

Richard Branson – Business mogul (starting his own space exploration company to owning his own island)

Albert Einstein - Theoretical Physicist

Ryan Gosling – actor

Justin Timberlake – Grammy winner singer

Jamie Oliver – star chef

Karina Smirnoff – Dancer with Dancing With the Stars

Will Smith – actor and singer

Jim Carrey – funny actor

Ty Pennington – expert carpenter from show Extreme Makeover

Terry Bradshaw – NFL quarterback

David Neeleman – founder of JetBlue Airlines

Paul Orfalea - Founder of Kinko's (copy chain)

To be a shining light by adding worth to others with disabilities, I dug deep into God’s word to highlight his emphatic instructions for us. God’s word teaches us to show Honor toward others. "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10  It is worth stating that we are to Value Others above ourselves. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,” Philippians 2:3 Another bold directive from God is to show proper Respect to everyone. “Show proper respect to everyone.” 1 Peter 2:17a Since Jesus modeled kindness and forgiveness, we are admonished to Be kind and Forgiving to all people. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 Considering that Jesus was the epitome of sacrificial Love, it is logical that God would direct us to follow his example. “By this we know love that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 1 John 3:16-17”

If God has crowned me with his glory and honor, I want to treat others with disabilities so they will feel like they are being treated with glory and honor!

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. ...Psalm 8:4-8?

Be known as someone who Adds value to People! 

Faith Stimulus: The Best-Kept Secret that Transported

 the Pilgrims to Freedom

by Babs Kincaid

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

Suppose you were told the only way out of your extremely adverse trial was to take an adventurous cruise to an unknown land. Would you hop on that daring ship? Suppose you were told that unlike other cruise ships there was no gourmet restaurant, no butler or concierge service, no free drinks, no élite lounges, no fitness classes, no movies, no Broadway shows and no goodie bags. Would you sign on the dotted line to set sail? Sign on the dotted line is exactly what the Pilgrims did. Reality has it that “one hundred and two Pilgrims crammed into a space about equal to that of a volleyball court. Compound that misery by the lack of light and fresh air (all hatches had to be battened down because of stormy weather). Add to it a diet of dried pork, dried peas, and dried fish, and the stench of an ever-fouler bilge, and multiply it all by sixty-six days at sea…” (From the Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel) It doesn’t sound like a luxury liner I would want to sign up for!

What would have motivated the Pilgrims to take on such a horrific challenge? I’m afraid the only way I would have gone would have been kicking and screaming! Jesus said it best to his disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself and take up the cross and follow me.” Luke 9:23 Truly the Pilgrims were signing up to follow Christ to the ends of the earth despite the hardships and suffering that they would face.

The best-kept secret that propelled the Pilgrims to be risk takers was their love for God revealed by their relentless Prayer! Relentless and zealous Prayer was their secret weapon against evil and for living an abundant life! When their European departure date arrived their pastor John Robinson “declared a day of fasting and Prayer to prepare them spiritually for the arduous voyage to come. At the end of the day, they had a farewell dinner and sang their favorite psalms” (The Light and the Glory) The Pilgrims life was a reflection of Christ’s love: “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5 Did you catch that their time spent in Prayer was a whole day? Convicting, isn’t it? Isn’t that what Jesus did often?

“All great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.” William Bradford

As the ship was leaving the shore, William Bradford who had been assigned to be acting pastor “may have had a pang of regret. But if he did, it was only temporary, for “they knew they were Pilgrims, …but lifted up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country and quieted their spirits.” (The Light and the Glory) No doubt this scripture gave the Pilgrims comfort: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 Here is the key to their remarkable walk in Christ “they continued to seek God together, Praying through despair and into peace and thanksgiving.” (The Light and the Glory) I have to ask myself “do I pray through despair and into peace and thanksgiving or stop short of it?”

What you didn’t learn in school about this courageous Pilgrim voyage was “the weary Pilgrims were forced to endure…harassment from the sailors… their self-appointed leader would gloat at their seasickness and delight in telling them he looked forward to …feeding them to the fish. But at the peak of his tormenting, …this same crewman took gravely ill of an unknown fever and died. Thereafter there was no more mocking from the crew.” (The Light and the Glory)  It is amazing in the great chess game of life, God protects his own. Check it out from God’s word: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:19 So nothing like resident bullies to make a trip more memorable right? You know the Pilgrims were engaged in major Prayer over this abuse! Score 100 for God! Now, who is fish bait???

So when the weary Pilgrims finally landed on the shores of Cape Cod, what was their first activity? “They had begun their long journey by kneeling on the dock…to ask God’s blessing; they ended it on the sands of Cape Cod, kneeling to thank Him for that blessing….The Pilgrims never complained about their conditions and thanked God for the merest of blessings.” (The Light and the Glory) Remarkable how closely they followed God's word: "Do everything without grumbling or arguing." Philippians 2:14

The Pilgrims were not just hearers of God’s word, they were cheerful doers of it. Picture this verse: “Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2 The Pilgrims lived their lives in communion with God. Prayer was not an activity for them, it was their lifeline to God! They stayed intimately connected to God by living this verse: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 So I ask myself, am I devoted to Prayer, being watchful and thankful? Am I joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in Prayer? Wow, that is convicting! When I look at the freedom the Pilgrims achieved and their closeness with God, I am motivated to intimately pursue God more passionately in Prayer. The Pilgrims have left us quite a legacy of Prayer and faith in Christ! They had a vibrant relationship with God and it showed in their fearless lives!!!