“I C U!”–Love, God

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Lately the Lord has been showing me a particular facet of Disability that ALL of us dealing with it are all too familiar with:  feeling invisible.  

There’s a video on YouTube called The Freezing Homeless Child! (Social Experiment): http://goo.gl/NwGjju

What a powerful video about how we choose to ignore really glaring issues in our daily lives—this one about a child who appears to be homeless enduring hours in sub-zero temps in just a tee shirt and jeans being passed by until a HOMELESS MAN stops and without hesitation offers the boy his coat!

Though homelessness was the focus of the experiment, it could have just as easily been—DISABILITY.

Because though 1 in 5 people nationwide are considered Disabled according to the US Census Bureau, circumstances surrounding our disabilities render us largely INVISIBLE to the general public.  Out of sight and out of mind.

And now that I am in a power chair I am definitely feeling the Invisibility Factor skyrocket!  In fact I went to OfficeMax to pick up some color prints and waited—patiently—while the clerk helped someone else. Then a pretty young spandex-clad woman swooped right by me and was IMMEDIATELY waited on!  Then an older gentleman breezed right by me also, cleared his throat loudly and HE got helped!!!

FINALLY I spoke up and asked for my color prints but not before feeling as invisible as a Superhero (but far less powerful).

However unlike the world, God Sees You in a uniquely personal way—and I believe wants for us to be able to see others in that same Christlike way also.

In the Book of Genesis we see Hagar (the maidservant of Abraham’s wife Sarah) who as a result of Sarah’s urging becomes pregnant with Abraham’s child Ishmael.  Soon relationships sour and Sarah demands that Hagar and her son be banished to the wilderness to which Abraham reluctantly agrees.  But Hagar cries out to the Lord and He answers!

Gen 16:13 NASB  Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees (El Roi)”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?”

Why?  “Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.” Gen 16:11 NASB  He’s saying “I C U! “—I Hear You, and I am ready Ready, Willing and Eager To Help You.”

So to all of you who struggle with disability like I do, I urge you to consider this:  rather than see your limitations, try looking at yourself though God’s Eyes.  Because for all the many-splendored things we lack, most of us have an overabundance of something that most of our able-bodied counterparts just can’t get enough of—TIME!  May we invest that precious gift wisely!  And like the homeless man in the video, boldly reach out to others overwhelmed by disability simply to say—“I C U! “—I Hear You,  and I am ready Ready, Willing and Eager To Help You.”  For His Glory!  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

In His Accessible Grace,

Linda