Is Disability God’s perfect plan?

When we gaze upon a scan of a new life being formed in its mother’s womb we can’t help but be in awe at the miracle we are witnessing. “Ah…” we sigh, imaging a perfect little body being created and ofter up hope-filled prayers for the life they will lead. Certainly the Psalmist agrees, seeing the miracle of our body’s formation as evidence of the remarkable handiwork of God. I wonder, however, what our sigh would be upon discovering that the unborn child had a disability?  Would we still see a perfect plan in the making? Would the later verses of this Psalm, praising God for “all the days ordained for [the child]…written in [God’s] book before one of them came to be” still rise in us a prayer of hope and anticipation for all that new life will achieve?

Disability was God’s perfect plan for my life.  A controversial statement? Possibly for many I am sure. But one I was totally convinced about upon discovering that I would most likely be wearing a veil and having a very different relationship with God had I not be born with a disability.  My Muslim parents were living in London when I was born. When my father died, my mother returned to Jordan with her other children. Because of my disability, I remained in London benefitting from a Christian upbringing and medical interventions that without doubt prolonged my life. Did God know that when I was being formed in my mother’s womb? Of course he did!

Retaining our confidence that God is in control despite appearances is the key that unlocks the potential to a full and abundant life. I don’t know what sort of a life I would have had if I had been taken to Jordan. I’m guessing that it would have been a difficult one. Not so much because I had a disability, but because the personality that emerged would not have withstood the limitations of a constrained upbringing. He knew that a life destined for purpose could not be left to chance.

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