Was she cursed? Was God punishing her? All these questions flashed through her mind as she tried to come to terms with her dilemma. Only God knew if she would be able to face life again. In her mind she was already dead – a moving grave. She looked again at her child and yes it was true, the baby had been born without limbs. All her life she had looked forward with anticipation to this day, the joy of holding her first born child. But in an instant her dream was shattered.
Life can be hard. Disability has always been a taboo since time immemorial. Many reasons have been attributed to this. Some say it is witchcraft, others that it’s a curse, and still others that it is a curse from God. Stories have been told in our African culture where the mother and her child are chased away from the village when such a scenario occurs. People regard it as a bad omen and the highest form of punishment from the gods.
Enormous demands
Cases of parents hiding their physically challenged children are rife in our society. Some go to the extent of throwing away those babies. But anyway who can judge them? The demands of taking care of a physically challenged person are enormous. In some cases they require round the clock assistance in everything they do.
On top of that is piled the shame and marginalisation from society. Most people cannot handle such pressure and sad to say many succumb and never recover. The question to ask is where is God in all this suffering? How can He allow such levels of suffering?
The answer to that question is the reason for this column. We need to see God’s perspective on disability. In His eyes no-one is born disadvantaged, everyone is born equal and with a purpose. In fact disabled people actually have a slight advantage because God compensates them for their lack in a certain area.
Above average
Haven’t you heard of blind people with an above average hearing capacity? They can literally hear sounds that most people miss. How else would you explain the accomplishments of Stevie Wonder? Musically few can match his talent and ability.
I bet most of you reading this article are struggling to put food on the table, even though you are able bodied. But not Stevie, the guy is a multi-millionaire, dining with who’s who in society. He is invited to perform before Presidents and Kings and at times declines because of his busy schedule.
You would think just because you are born with both legs and feet you would amount to something in life. Think again. Does anyone ever think what would have happened had he not been born blind? I bet you would not have heard of him. His greatness was packaged in his disability and he could not have one without the other. Get a chance to talk with him and you will be shocked by his answer.
Limitless
You would think that the greatest wish for a blind man is to see, but that’s a wrong perception. Stevie Wonder actually embraces his blindness and would have it no other way. He recognises that the secret to his success was hidden in his disability. After overcoming his feelings of self-pity, shame and worthlessness he found his purpose, and with purpose, one becomes LIMITLESS.
The greatest tragedy for a disabled person is to be angry and blame God for their condition. Such an attitude leads to destructive feelings of low self-esteem, self-pity and worthlessness. They believe God does not love them and that life is not worth living. This is far from the truth; God loves them and made them unique to accomplish a special purpose.
With anger and resentment towards God, they will die without realising their purpose. What a tragedy. It’s the same as dying in poverty when your house is sitting on top of a gold mine. Every disabled person has a “rare diamond” hidden within them. But to access that diamond their whole attitude has to change. They have to see themselves the way God sees them and as an organisation we will walk together to make sure this is accomplished.
Lynell Dangarembizi is the founder of the Rare Diamonds Foundation, an organisation created to help disabled people discover their God given purpose in life.
Post published in: News