The Meaning of Life as A Disabled Person.
Many of us think about the meaning of life. What is it? Is it to simply exist? To have a relationship with others? To work? To reproduce? To seek pleasure? Entire libraries and literally millions of pages have been written about the meaning of life. Philosophers from every time of history have debated it.
For those of us who have disabilities, it can often be a struggle to find a “meaning” to life, whether we were born with a disability or acquired it by other means. Can we work as well as others? Can we relate to or interact with people as well? Can we enjoy and “live” life as well as others around us? All too often the answer is no, or is seemingly no. But these things are often foundational to our existence as a person.
Disability is frequently defined as a condition that limits a person’s activities, movements, or senses. It can be physical, mental, or emotional. It can be visible or invisible. It can run a spectrum of severity, from physical quadriplegia, severe bipolar or significant downs syndrome to missing individual digits or mild anxiety. It can have varying levels of effect on cognitive ability.
The cause and nature of each is myriad, from birth defects to injury to disease. Up to 1 in 4 Americans have a disability of some sort, and many can limit or affect one’s ability to work or even function “normally”. I think it is accurate to say it is almost impossible to find one common factor in disabilities.
However, there is one thing that all disabilities, every single one, have in common: access to God. Our spiritual connection to God is a thread that runs through every single human being that has ever been conceived. Even those who are severely autistic or mentally disabled have the ability to connect with God. True, we may not see it, but it is there.
Easter gives special meaning of life to all, “disabled” or not. Through Easter we celebrate the gift Jesus gave us in his death: redemption. God’s son died on the cross to bring that redemption to all who believe, regardless of health, illness, those who are physically strong to those who are not, those considered beautiful or not, deformity, intellect, race, LGBTQ+, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, criminal or innocent, and anything else.
The truth is that we are all broken or imperfect in so many ways. Whether it is seen or not, we all have that in common.
In The Chronicles of Narnia’s Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis said it best: “You all come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,” said Aslan, “and that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth.”
He created us in His image! We should be proud of that. But we also come from a heritage of sin and brokenness. Our being created in the image of God will never counterbalance the brokenness. Only Jesus’ death on the cross can do that. This should tell us how high our value is – and only our belief and acceptance in the true power of that death will restore what our true creation and value should be: A forgiven child of the King. We will be resurrected into that originally intended creation: we will no longer be scarred by sin, we will look back and see this life as a vapor, here one second, then gone. At that moment the challenges in this life will no longer exist but we will exist in the state of joy we can only imagine.
Disabled? For all intents and purposes this is the world’s title. Sometimes we think our value is determined by how the world views us. That’s a very subjective scale! The value of something is determined by the price someone is willing to pay to obtain it. True meaning in this life has to do with the value of a human life. God saw us and said he was willing to die for us.
Your condition is a different problem in today’s world; it is just more easily seen. However, as a disabled person myself, I would never give the platitude of “just rejoice in your condition! Just Have Faith!” (it is amazing how many platitudes on a disability start with “just”). Life will be a struggle. Life can have enormous challenges, more than many healthy can conceive of or imagine. But when you are able, take solace in the fact that you are as described above. You may never be ‘healed’ in this life, whether you are a believer in Christ or not. It can be very hard to live your life – acceptance of the gift of the sacrifice of Christ will not magically solve this. But it is also possible to live this life with joy and find meaning as a disabled person. Many can and do live fulfilling lives, existing happily despite a disability. Looking past our disability is key to this. Accepting who we are and what position we are in is important as well. If you are recently disabled realize it will take time to process or even mourn the loss of your previous life. It took me several years to go through the process of accepting my disability and the loss of my career.
Learn to focus on others as well as taking care of yourself. Always centering our life around our disability will only drain us and those around us. Find meaningful work! Even if you cannot hold down a full-time job or even a part-time job, it is important to find a place for yourself in the world. The Lord meant for us to work! Don’t give up and spend your life staring at a television or cell phone. Finding a way to work at a job even a few hours a week (or even a month!) will be very beneficial to your mental health. Try to find a paid position. It gives you the added responsibility to encourage your labor. Put all these together and it will give you some meaning and purpose in your life. But only some. Living life to its fullest will only come with God as part of your life.
It is important to realize that the only real peace in this life will come from your true meaning: to know our God and to understand His love for you.
Do you want this? Read on:
Know:
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
As it is written: No one is righteous, not even one.
Romans 3:10
But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so He does not hear.
Isaiah 59:2
Your only requirement:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.
Acts 16:31
But Remember the Cost:
Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.
Hebrews 12:2
He Himself bore our sins in his body on that tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
1 Peter 2:24
What do we gain?
“Today you will be with me in paradise.”
Matthew 23:43