“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NIV)
I remember the moment vividly. While seated in the living room, my son had a rare moment of vulnerability as the afternoon sun painted long shadows on the floor. Tears welled in his eyes as he voiced the painful disappointment simmering beneath the surface for years.
“I never asked to be born.” The words stung deeply. My child, self-aware enough to feel his difference, grappled with the weight of his disabilities.
The frustration and sadness in his voice were palpable. As a mother, I felt helpless. I wanted to take away his pain, to assure him that his life had immense value, but at that moment, all I could do was sit with him and listen.
Parenting a disabled child reshaped my understanding of God’s calling on a person’s life. Particularly for those who don’t conform to societal expectations of “Christian” or “Christian service.”
Understanding Christian Calling
An understanding of calling must encompass all members of the body of Christ without consideration for ableness. As 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 explains, the Church is like a body with many essential and interdependent parts. Christian calling should value each individual, regardless of their abilities, as vital to the overall mission and health of the Church.
“Christian” comes from the Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianos), which means “follower of Christ.” A follower of Christ does not become a follower of Christ because of what they can do but because of what they cannot do—save themselves. Believing that we had something to do with making ourselves right with God is a type of ableism and, in a Christian context, is legalism laced with discrimination. In reality, all of Christ’s followers share the common ground of being disabled by sin, but not all understand the breadth and depth of their lack.
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