Disabilities: God’s Test and Our Response

Disabilities: God’s Test and Our Response         Kelly Durant

Luke16:19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell[d] from the rich man’s table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

2. Have you ever noticed how people avoid dealing with others who have a disability? Or those down and out? You are in a grocery store and a blind person is walking with a guide as a friend, how do people react? Have you noticed people often just silently move out of the way? How do you respond? Most glance a few seconds, then avoid them and say nothing. You can observe the stress on the bystanders faces indicating that they don’t even want to think about the subject of living without sight! It’s sad true that hardly anyone tries to befriend them!

In the grocery stores in this town many people salute you and say, ‘Good morning!’ and that friendliness breaks the ice. This is evidence of a cultured, honorable, friendly society that is open to connect with others. White, black, or tattooed, no matter the type of person, you feel a peace that they recognize your existence and will look you in the eyes to salute you. But consider the poor or  blind people. By my experience few say, ‘Good morning’ to them. Sad isn’t it? Shouldn’t they get treated the same, or maybe even better with more attention and care? Life is unfair because we inherited sin in a fallen world, but God is not unjust, he rewards according to the good or evil we do. God wants to see how you will treat others that have less than you.

3. Don’t you hate it how the education level and respect for others has degenerated in our society in the past decades? It’s worldwide! How is it some people think that with their hateful attitudes, illogical attacks, and trick political questions that they are improving things? If I speak up for the poor (which are financially disabled, like many of us here) and propose we  help a certain part of town (let’s suppose it is a Vietnamese area). Why is it today that suddenly out of the woodwork, there comes a critical response such as, “You have no right to speak up for them because you are a rich white man, not one of them , and you have no right to defend what you think that these people need! You are privileged and disqualified!” What? Why do people want to disqualify the good one can do? People are being led to contradict God’s compassion! Too many people with great wealth are already cold hearted without this new platform from the pc police!

Contrary to the rich man in our verses today, consider the ability of a person with many resources and a desire to help others less fortunate, wanting to do good.  Often, instead of getting a ‘thank you, and let’s work together’, sometimes the person gets a rebuke and an insult over their race and wealth. It was God that made each of us, and the misled people are quick to decry, ‘Racist!’ And these usually are the ones who are truly ‘racists’ preventing good to be done! Proverbs 23:7 (a) ‘For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.’ These emotionally mis-wired individuals stifle social progress. These types accuse others, presuming negative things about all people and about the rich, harboring pre-fed lies from evil sources. Good is stifled because of gross ignorance!  This idiocy and mis-information has been preprogramed in them by bitter, hateful, godless people in our societies. Bad info comes from ones in one’s family, school, and even religion, depending on which one it is! Question everything! You might be on the wrong highway because of your lack of understanding and lack of love for others, on the highway to hell! Lately, society has few provisions for those who are different, disabled, or outcast. The mindset of Nazi Germany is back and those with these calloused hearts claim others are the Nazis?! Hypocrisy at its height.  

In the story of Lazarus the beggar, a disabled man with terrible sores, there was prejudice there coming from the prideful, rich man. The presumption of the rich man, who may have even been a religious man, was that he would never be in the shoes of a beggar or disabled person. So what did it matter to him to throw him a bone or piece of bread from the table so Lazarus could eat it like a dog?  Here Jesus is warning the rich, your crumbs are not enough! But this injustice still continues today: How unlovingly the arrogant politicians, world leaders, and business owners (several, not all) only give crumbs to help with the needs of the poor, sick, and disabled. Jesus sees all and the tables will be turned one day!

4. Referring to those of special needs or disabilities, I have spoken up many times for people with special needs. No one can tell me I have no right to speak up, that I don’t know what it’s like, because I have a son that was born deaf and no one has walked in my, and my wife’s shoes, for 7,000 plus days raising him. But I know we are blessed! Jesus I know heard every prayer and felt every tear as we fought to keep him protected and educated, even daily in the dangerous parts of LaPaz, Caracas, Bogota, and Miami. All of us had to learn 2 sign languages, Spanish and English. But the bullying, ridicule, and many things have been very challenging for Paul and us. And when you care for someone different, you never think it is a sacrifice, it is just what you do!

Today I am very proud of him! Imagine, he has total deafness, tunnel vision from Lupus (causing retinal pigmentosa) and he also has diabetes. And what is his attitude? Is he home hiding in self-pity getting a government check complaining because life is unfair? No, the opposite! He is married, is raising 2 boys, working everyday, and he produces informative Vlogs to connect with other deaf people across the nation teaching them how to eat healthy, understand the Bible, and how to laugh at funny things as well. 

When life is tough, the tough get going! My wife and I will never fully understand why God chose us to raise a deaf son, but we have been comforted by this verse, John 9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” Many years ago God comforted me through His Spirit that we are a chosen ones, that me and my wife are special and called, trusted to do a great work with many people of many languages, cultures, and needs. And after 40 years, that’s how it has been! We have led Bible groups for the deaf and in Spanish living in 5 different countries (USA makes 6).Now, in Winchester, VA we deal with many issues of those who speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, and sign language. Special needs exist everywhere and with love we must adapt to serve in their world. ‘Become one’, with others, is what Paul said.

5.   What are you dealing with? How bad is it ? Let’s look at the case of Lazarus! He was poor and sick and did not have too much longer to live. And dogs licking his sores?! But despite that poverty, did he curse God for it all? No, instead he just humbly ate what he could get and lived out his days until he went to heaven to get his reward! He loved God despite his conditions, how many people do that?

Lazarus, contrary to the high rich city official, did not get to do any hob-knobbing with the rich, he did not get to party and go on any exotic vacations, instead he was stuck, stuck in one place. I presume his time daily must have been used up in prayers. How unfair his life was! Or not? He went to heaven!

I think all of us suffer over understanding this one. How is it life for some seems to give them a silver spoon (but later that spoiled wasteful opulence may cause that spoon to be their tool for heroine use) while life for others seems to provide them with an extreme poverty, sickness, disability, or some socio-economical discriminated disadvantage? Fallen man keeps the evil pyramid system going!

The only answer is there is a heaven and hell! In this life, governed by evil people, we see there will never be a true justice, equality, compassion, and service to others as there should be because the prideful, the rich, and the powerful despot leaders will never be, in their majority, controlled by God’s love. The more we read the more we learn that heartless, murderous Satan has been controlling family dynasties, communism, and oppressive false religions for millennium! 

6. This is the answer Jesus gave us concerning the world’s injustices, that the suffering ones now will go on to get heaven later, while the selfish prideful ones now with their heartless selfish opulence, get hell later! It does seem wrong that some get so much in this life while others, due to some disability, sickness, or impoverished conditions, do not get to ever relax and enjoy life! 

And life, according to the way our modern society under Satan’s greed and vanity cloud has shaped it, places on most everyone many unrealistic expectations to appear perfect. It is a shame how others from our own families, schools, and God forbid even churches, intimidate you and me on how much one should be spending and showing off. We need to get back to a simple lifestyle of just enjoying each other, playing guitar and singing together and praising God! And few people ever consider spending time with a person in a wheelchair or serving someone disabled, or visiting people in a rest home or jail like many Salvation Army folks do. Have you visited or helped someone lately? 

I recall confronting the issue in my own kids of why don’t we have more than what we have. Why do we have a deaf brother, isn’t God good? Why are we so poor serving God? The reality is, in this country more than in others, we are not poor at all and never have we been bone thin and destitute! With all the basics, we always live very blessed! Most people like us here (except for about 20% of the populous) eat well daily, dress appropriately, get electronic toys, and get some education. How many things are just taken for granted? After 14 years abroad in poor countries in So. America, all of us from our family know extremely well how much we actually have in the USA.! And we should help those in our neighborhood and those abroad as much as we can because Jesus fed them and healed them and we have that same mission, to care for their souls and needs.  

7. Even children can observe that some kids and adults arrogantly flaunt their talent, wealth, and position having no compassion on those that suffer or deal with poverty or disabilities. Also, what a sin and tragedy that some kids that have disabilities get abandoned by their own! How little love they often get growing up! The divorce rate of parents with disabled kids is extremely high! How unfair right? God wants to judge others by how they respond to those with physical needs, or a disability. Remember the rich young ruler lost heaven for not sharing!

God obviously does not intervene in all cases of need (Jesus healed many multitudes though!). I conclude then that He is often waiting to see how those people nearby closest to the ones with needs will respond. How did the rich man, with no name, respond to Lazarus? He feed him crumbs! How insulting and sad! Life here is a school and preparation for the next one, and so many people fail the test! They fail to love, fail to show a true compassion, and they fail to be thankful to God, loving God and doing for others what they cannot do for their selves! 

How will you respond if you have to take care of a very hard situation? Life is long and you never know what you may have to deal with in the future! Many arrogant people have gotten their share of children with unusual diseases or disabilities. We live in a fallen world, made imperfect by the rebellious angels demons, contaminating our gene pools and spirits, provoking people to make evil choices. Undesired consequences occur but often God’s intervening wrath takes place on those who insult their creator and His creatures. God is angry with indifferent faithless arrogant fools who harm his innocent ones by a lack of compassion.

8. And now the final results in Luke 16:22 The beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

The misassumption that the rich, prideful, arrogant ones have is that they will be rewarded in the next life for sharing their crumbs (if they even believe in one) and be in good with God and His people (in this case Lazarus) for what they gave to the poor. If all they did was heartlessly give left overs while they partied on, how unjust, right? How cruel their indifference to the needs of the poor and helpless is! Is God fair in judgement? Yes! If a person lived as a demon, heartless, unloving, disrespecting God and his commands to show real compassion, is it wrong that God allows their soul to be in the jail of hell? I agree with God, the souls of these types of demons that do not repent must stay in the jail of hell or else their spirit, in some other body, will just keep repeating the same carnal actions of exploitations, debauchery, and injustices.

This is the hard part for those of the world to swallow from the Words of Jesus, that some go to heaven and some go to hell. God has allowed this fallen world to continue on its trek for a few thousand years to prove to all humanity and the angels and the demons, that it matters not how much wealth or power you gain, how much fortune you may have, or how many crumbs you give to the poor, unless you are willing to love those who suffer in a real sacrificial way, doing special things for them, then you are just another worthless soul. The suffering poor and disabled go on to share heaven with Abraham, Jesus, and the saints, while those who are heartless and disobedient, even if they claim they know about Jesus, will get judged to share their lot with the heartless rebellious.

9. In my life I have met very few families where the ultra-rich ones shares significantly to help the poor ones. Greed, wealth, power, all corrupt, and if God hasn’t spoiled you with excess, thank him for it but share it if you get it! And if God has sent you difficult challenges or an uneventful average life, praise Him for that as well! Did I get help from others saying, ‘Let me come to your home and teach you sign language and care for your deaf son with my skills?’ Do you think people have so much love they intervene to really do something meaningful? Very few, too few, where are the real Christians!? The Salvation Army (me and my wife do all we can) serve and millions of others do too, but it is still a drop in the bucket compared to the needs of the entire world, to help the hungry, the poor, the homeless, the uneducated, and the sick or disabled. But do your part!

The weight to help with the deaf community was on me and my wife’s shoulders. Our world is in a horrible mess! Not many who care for the disabled and poor do it with love as they should. I see few case workers, doctors, and even pastors serving with love and passion as they should! The world is unloving and cruel because Jesus is not worshipped and obeyed! Hitler had all disabled people killed, Satan in people have no mercy and they kill with evil words, indifference, and a lack of compassion.

James 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.  

Pray to become one of the generous sacrificial people of God who sincerely help the suffering, the poor, and disabled. How nice it could have been if this story of Lazarus had ended with he and the rich man being together in heaven because the rich man did his best to help him!

Jesus gave all of humanity a warning, so please listen and learn, see with your eyes and hear with your ears and serve the poor, the disabled, and those who suffer. Let’s pray…