Disabilities Ministry {Remembering Why We Do What We Do}

All God’s Children - Disabilities Ministry

The vision of this ministry has been, from the very beginning, about relationship. Creating a sense of community where ALL people feel welcome and loved regardless of their abilities and/or special needs. I think our mission statement says it well:

The heart of this ministry is that every child of God be given equal opportunity to hear who Jesus is, worship Him confidently and share the gift of who they are (just as they are!) with the rest of the church body!

Even the most well intentioned people can have a hard time with inclusion when they don’t have “all the facts” though. For example, most of the children we work with have very different ways of communicating a need; often times at a much higher volume than we are accustomed to in our Sunday school classrooms. For a parent bringing their child to class this might be a little unnerving (and even a bit overwhelming) especially when they aren't aware of the blessings that are taking place within the walls of that classroom!

Several weeks ago I was able to spend three hours of my Sunday morning with two very special boys. At one point a little girl in the Sunday school room asked me what was wrong with one of the boys. I said "Absolutely nothing is wrong sweetie! God just made him..." and she cut me off: "God just made him a little different than others. And you know what teacher? That's okay!" She spent the rest of the hour smiling shyly at him every chance she got. That sweet girl and her family are new to our church...that was her first day in the Sunday school room. During worship, I noticed the other little girls in the class moving away from her and whispering about her being the new girl. She told me a little later, with tears in her eyes, that no one would play with her. But then...she was blessed by the welcoming smile of a special boy who God created to be JUST THE WAY HE IS! Made my heart sing.

Every single family within the church body needs to hear these stories. They need to know that their children are learning to love like Jesus by being in the classroom with these children who I believe Jesus would be just simply showering with His love! Maybe the community as a whole needs to hear these stories. What if these precious children, that God created to be JUST AS THEY ARE, could help bridge a gap in YOUR community? Gives me chills…

Let’s realize that God has called us into this ministry and that He is capable of using us for His glory…and for the purpose of bringing every single child to His loving arms! Our “jobs” within this ministry consist of so much more than just following a sweet child around the classroom for an hour or so. We can be advocating for them, for their families and helping to make true inclusion a reality!

I decided to write this because my heart is for these families, but also because my heart is for YOUR family. Even if you personally are not affected by special needs…someone you know is. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, DO NOT THINK YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED! I’ll let you in on a little secret (shhh): I have no special needs training and/or education. None. I previously had very little experience working with special needs children/adults. Since beginning this ministry (with two super incredible ladies who have since become two of my closest friends!) I have read a few books, listened to a few seminars on the web, asked people who have more experience than I have for advice and…PRAYED!

Will you commit to praying with me? And walking where the Lord leads you? And realizing that you don’t have to be qualified or capable because He is? I would be honored to continue in this journey with you...wherever you are!

“God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!” –Unknown

-Cassi

On Being a Wife

I came across something sooo good the other day...one of those little treasures that you pick up in passing and hold close to your heart for the entire. rest. of. your. life! I was researching information for our Disabilities Ministry and came across a blog post that had absolutely nothing to do with Disabilities Ministry and everything to do with where I was that very minute.

I have somehow sensed from the very beginning that God did not bring Jason into my life so that I could place unreasonable demands on him. Or with the intention that he would fulfill my every need. But, somehow, as completely as any one person can...he does just that. I have often struggled with understanding how he can possibly love me so well. I most definitely do not deserve the kind of husband he is. And then, God used this little treasure to open my eyes to the precious gift of a husband who knows Him:

"God alone can meet the deepest needs of our heart and when we let Him we are then free to minister to our spouse’s needs rather than manipulating them to meet our own." -Kelly Matte on the main premises of one of her favorite books, The Marriage Builder by Larry Crabb.

I always feel like I've let my husband down when he gets home from work and I haven't finished the chores, the boys are being loud/chaotic and dinner isn't even close to being on the table. He definitely appreciates a clean house and a warm meal, but those things are not ultimately what he is looking for from me. And the wife I "default to" when I allow myself to think that he deserves someone better is not the wife he needs. That wife is the product of a girl who has never been good enough....a girl who attempted to find wholeness in all of the wrong places before coming to know Jesus.

My husband needs me to love him the way God would have me love him and to graciously accept the same from him. He needs a place with me where his heart is safe and he is appreciated for the wonderful man that he is. He needs me to make time for us. Date nights when our entire world is flipped upside down are imperative. Lighting a candle and serving him his favorite apple pie after the boys are in bed is received just the same when there's a pile of laundry on the floor as when it's neatly folded and put away.

And...my boys need me to respect their father; to let him lead and not undermine the decisions he makes. They need the security of parents who really, truly love each other. And show it!

This man is my best friend, my soul mate, a precious gift from God. My highest calling (second only to my relationship with God) is to be his wife.

-Cassi