Handicap Or To Handicap: We All Have One (Or Two Or Three)

(This is a lesson I taught in my home congregation ladies class at the beginning of the year, so it is written as such. I had people ask me to post it in written form.)

The definition of a handicap is:
a) a circumstance that makes progress or success difficult
b) to act as an impediment to 

These are very different--one works at keeping you from things, and the other, YOU, are the thing impeding someone or something else.

I will say now, I do not have all the answers to every question I'll ask, rhetorical or otherwise. But I think that's healthy for us. And humbling.
God doesn't bestow all knowledge on us because our human egos would be quick to succumb to bloat.

With most physical or mental impairments people ask, "why?"
As I mentioned previously speaking on Doubt---questioning is okay.
In my opinion, it's a healthy part of our God given free will. And even God's son took time to pray to his Father to ask for clarification in the garden before he went to the cross.

As a realist, my mind doesn't hover over the why. I don't care. Maybe that's shocking, but I don't.
I have absolutely no problem caring with you over your "why"; but I don't really care about my "why".
 For me what matters is what I'm supposed to do with it. I'm a pleaser, a doer and I want to just jump to the part where we find solutions or accommodating resources.

Examples were given throughout the Bible on handicaps. Anywhere from the skin conditions of Naaman, Jonathan's lame legged son, Moses--did the most humble man have speech issues or was he an introvert?  The handicap of who you're matched up against, like David. And I don't want to forget my spiritual mentor, Job, who has too many impediments to name.
Then all the way to the New Testament where Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians 12:7 of his "thorn".

2Cor 12:7--" or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me."

Of course none of us know what his thorn was specifically but there's quite a bit of evidence pointing to Paul's thorn being lingering blindness or eye issues after his road to Damascus encounter. 
In Galatians 4:15 where he says he knows the Galatians would have torn out their own eyes and given them to him. 
Galatians 6: 11 Paul talks of writing in his own handwriting to them, but with large letters and writing.
Paul pleads with God three separate times  to remove this thorn, but God instead used His power & grace through Paul's weakness.
(I personally think Paul struggled with other "thorns" like maybe nightmares & guilt over the persecution he participated in. Humans do struggle with guilt & letting go of our sins and the sins of others that have touched our lives.) 

I think we're lucky at this congregation to get to see such huge God moments or displays of power, and control and His ability to overcome anything.
We are lucky to be constantly shown through Gavin, Gage, Coleman and Carson.
But through each of these children's unique lives, we are able to really see God's power at work in some impossible circumstances.

Remember I said Job was one of my spiritual mentors. He looses his money, livelihood, even his children and was afflicted with boils from Satan.
Satan claimed that good people like Job love God only because of the good things He provides.
Remove these and his faith would melt away.
Chapter one tells us Job has done nothing to deserve this.
Sooner or later we find ourselves in Job's type situations where our world seems to crumble, and nothing makes sense--our faith is put on trial.
For me, I see him as the example of anyone going through suffering, to hold steadfast to your faith.

James 1:1-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Another interesting, human part of Job's story is when God gets upset with Job's friends as they try to talk him through the things handicapping his life. 
Lesson #1 in NOT being like Job's friends:

HEAR THAT.
Do you know what I personally want to do when I feel frustrated and feel like I got shoved down to the bottom rung of the ladder of life??
I want to throw a good, old-fashioned hissy fit at how hard it will be.
I want to lie in the floor kicking and screaming and say not nice words.
You don't know what it feels like to live my life, so don't think you know how I should feel about this development! Maybe instead, you should ask the person,"How do you feel about this newest information?"

For example--a friend's child gets into Harvard.
Terrific! What fantastic news! It surely is. Their child is smart. Their child did something impressive. Here's what we as friends say, "You have to be SO happy to hear that!"
Umm no I don't.
I can be exasperated, sad and frustrated or want to lie down in the floor and throw a ring-tail hissy. Trust me, there will be a few other emotions for a mother to process before she gets to elation.

 Give her time. She's thinking, "My child is going far away from me, won't come home but a few times a year & this will change our dynamic, our relationship and our lives forever."
 Is it the worst news--no. As a mother does this bring forth a plethora of emotions on many different levels-- yes. Have you had this exact human experience?  So let them process it all in however long it takes them.
Please don't be like that child that sticks their hand under the door while you're in the bathroom, asking if you're done yet, fifty times.
Encourage when they reach out. Everyone needs that--but you can usually sense the tone of someone's emotions. If you aren't one of those people who can--watch the people you know can. I'm dead serious. Just like Job's "handicapping" friends, you could be right or wrong, but that's not what we always wanna hear even when we know it's the truth.

This brings up the other handicap definition--"Are you acting as a handicap..."
--in a situation with someone dealing with physical or mental hurdles in their life.
--in a situation where we feel we know best---for example, raising kids.
---in a situation where someone has wronged us and we're using that to keep us from continuing to work for the greater good
If you are--then you are allowing a seed Satan has sown, to handicap you from furthering God's kingdom.  

Handicaps come with sacrifices.
SO:
*Where's the justice?
*How did this happen or how did I get here?
*Why???
*I thought God wouldn't give me more than I can handle?
*Who did this to me--God or Satan?
*This isn't fair!!
*Why do bad things happen to good people?

Remember I told you I don't claim to have answers. All I can tell you is what I believe--which is--
IT DOESN'T MATTER!!!!
What matters is we are given these trials & then we show God we trust Him to know more than us by staying steadfast in our faith.
We show the world we trust Him to navigate us through life.
Even in seasons of disappointments and trials, God is there with us. Even if He's silent like he was with Job. Yes silent.
Our imperfections are a reminder we need to rely on God and each other.
We need to try and be open to helping those who we see sacrificing for their handicaps. It may not be easy or in the way we want to assist, but we aren't called to "easy helping" just because we're Christians.

Hebrews 12:7-12
"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?  If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.  Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees."