The Journey to Embracing All in the Body of Christ

Have you ever considered what it truly means to cultivate compassion within your community? Joining me, Tracie Corll, is an exploration of the soul as we discuss the transformation from seeing individuals with disabilities through a lens of pity to one of purposeful engagement in our faith communities. Our dialogue delves into the Five Stages of Disability Attitudes from Elim Christian Services, a roadmap that takes us from ignorance to a place where every person is valued as a co-laborer in ministry. We unravel the threads of misconception and sew together a new tapestry of understanding, one where perceived limitations are transcended and where every individual's God-given purpose is celebrated within the body of Christ.

Throughout this powerful episode, we share stories and insights that highlight the journey to authentic friendships and true inclusion, showcasing the incomplete nature of our spiritual family without the unique contributions of individuals with disabilities. It's a candid reflection on personal growth and societal impact, emphasizing the deep enrichments and faith enhancements that come from recognizing and embracing the potential in us all. So tune in, and be inspired to shift your perspective, forming bonds that reflect the inclusivity of the gospel and contribute to the collective calling we share.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Hi, my name is Tracy Corle and welcome to Indispensable People. I'm a wife, mom, teacher, pastor and missionary, and I believe that every person should have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given, no matter their ability. Over 65 million Americans have a disability. That's 25% of the population. However, over 80% of them are not inside the walls of our church. Let's dive into those hard topics biblical foundations, perceptions and world-changing ideas. Hey, hey, and welcome to today's episode of Indispensable People. It's episode 26 and we're going to talk about building compassion, not pity.

Speaker 1: 1:00

This is such an important topic for me as a mom, as a volunteer, as anything that I might do in serving in ministry. Here's how I'll say it. That's as simple as possible. We block purpose, but compassion leads way to purpose. I truly believe this, because when we think of someone as less, than when we think of someone as being not enough or without value, then we don't believe that they can serve or fulfill a purpose. I know on a regular basis, when I speak to churches or when I'm training churches or even having conversations with other people about the ministry, that we do. I know that they're thinking in the back of their heads. Okay, you say that every person should have the opportunity to know God, grow in him and serve him. Then their mind goes to that person who uses a wheelchair, who depends on everyone for everything, can't communicate in the sense of using verbal or sign language, and you think, okay, then prove me there, prove me how that person speaks in the sense that other people can't understand or be delivered information about God or something that would change their life for eternity.

Speaker 1: 2:37

Here's what I know, here's what I stand on. My God is sovereign. Nothing happens without His allowance. I know that my God has a plan and a purpose for every person. I know that God can speak through my life in the most difficult and I don't know never ending times where it feels like I don't give enough or that I can't participate enough or that I can't serve enough. I know he can speak through that. But what I also have to realize is that because someone's purpose In life doesn't fit, the boxes I have in my head about what that should look like does not diminish their value, their worth or their dignity, because the God that I know saw it fit to create them, and I know what his word says about the people that he has chosen to create. So that's the mind shift. Regardless of what we see, regardless of what we open the door to, regardless of what we make accessible within the doors of our church, here's what I know. God's plan is bigger than my plan. One of my favorite verses is his ways are mysterious. I may not ever understand what he was doing through someone's life, but I do know that I trust the God that I serve.

Speaker 1: 4:34

So I wanted to share a resource with you that's really helped me understand or put into words this idea, if it's not pity and it's compassion. What does that look like? How does that work itself out? How do I become intentional in making sure that's the direction that I'm going? So there is a resource called the Five Stages, and it is about there are different things that it's been called the Five Stages of Disability Attitudes or the Five Stages of Changing Attitudes, and it is a resource of Elam Christian services. I'm not associated with them, I am an Assemblies of God pastor but this incredible resource and you can find videos on it that are just perfect and what it does is it helps us to walk through the stages of understanding.

Speaker 1: 5:40

So let's start at the very beginning and the first stage is ignorance. And this is where you have a twofold thing. You either don't even make the consideration or there's no reason for you to think about people with disabilities and the church, and this is maybe because you've not come across to anyone with a disability, maybe it's because there aren't any people in your life that have a disability that's made you go. How does church work for them? The other option is You're just choosing not to recognize people with disabilities as a part of the body of Christ. Maybe you aren't considering their needs, and some of that could be rooted back into years ago of how people with disabilities were kind of pushed aside, kind of hidden, that kind of thing. And so we move from that stage onto the stage of pity, which is just really. I feel really sorry for you. I just feel bad about it. I am blessed and I am grateful to have family members and people in my life because I'm not disabled and they're not disabled People with weaknesses and disabilities. They need help from someone like me and I could give them help. And if I give them help and participate in their life, then I provide meaning to their life and you don't necessarily see purpose or meaning to their lives outside of you participating in their life with them.

Speaker 1: 7:24

Now we're moving on to stage three, and stage three is a step up from stage one and stage two. So stage one was ignorant, stage two was pity, which neither of those are places we want to land. But now we're moving on to care, and then you're going to start recognizing, within this stage, that, yes, they're created in God's image. People with disabilities are created in God's image and by and because of that and that alone, they have value. And you can take time to show them God's love, you can help them and support them with their needs. And maybe you're thinking maybe I could do something nice for them, maybe I could bring them to church or maybe I could help with something that they might need at church. So we've turned the corner. We now see value and worth within them, not because of what they can do, but simply because of who God is.

Speaker 1: 8:29

And then we go to another stage that takes another big step up, and that stage is stage four, which is called friendship. And within this stage it says I have come to know someone with a disability and we've become friends. This person has a value in God's sight, but also in mine. My life is better off because I know them and it's not just a one way street. I am friends with them and they care for me, and I am friends with them and I care for them. So it is true friendship. We're seeing eye to eye, we're level in this, where caring consideration are being provided from both ends of the friendship and we are participating in life together, not because of what they can do for me or what I can do for them, but because we've developed a relationship and we see the value in that through the eyes of God.

Speaker 1: 9:36

Now the last stage, my most favorite stage, is stage five, which is co-labors, and it is saying God is called both of us to serve and we are supposed to participate in the body of Christ with our brothers and sisters, abilities or disabilities, and we should do this life together. We are co-labors, serving the Lord who created us, who gave us value and worth together. Now this resource has shown us how we can walk through the different perspectives of how you see people with disabilities, where you're starting out an ignorance that I may not even recognize that you exist. Two is pity and I just feel really bad for you and that's terrible, that you have to live that life, and I am so glad that I don't have to live your life. Stage three is where I start to recognize God's got a plan for you. He's created you and I can participate in that plan with you. Then on to stage four, into friendship going. We're in this together, you and me. We're friends, we're taking care of each other, we're living out life together. And the last stage you're not only living out life together, you're living out a mission together. This is an incredible resource. This is a great way to change your perspectives. It is so good for you to see the steps and truly recognize where you might be in those steps.

Speaker 1: 11:28

Do I look at people with disabilities with the potential of friendship and co-labors? And if I don't, why and how can I change that? Once we do that, within the walls of our churches, within the ministries that we serve in, how we can change the perspectives of others and show them true, honest friendship. Why is this important? How is this a game changer? Simply that we were made to live this life out in fellowship, within fellowship. That's where iron sharpens iron. That is where we grow in our maturity, in our faith in our beliefs. That is how we stand strong, that is how we raise one another up in and prayer. That is how we change eternity for one another and for others.

Speaker 1: 12:33

If we choose not to, if we choose to stay in the layers of ignorance and pity, first of all, we are missing pieces to our body of Christ because we are not including them, we are not seeing the value in them, they are not having opportunities to serve God in the way that he intended. If we go only to caring, it's kind of like we're 50, we're getting there but we're not there, which means that faith-building and that trust and that fellowship where we grow together more so looks like isolation in the first three steps. So that's not the plan that God has laid out for us. God has a much bigger plan for us.

Speaker 1: 13:31

So our perspective, it's matter. The way we treat someone matters. The way we open the doors to the gospel matters. The way we live life out together matters. It changes everything. So don't just stick to the here and to me, don't even just land on caring, but move right on in to friendship and co-laboring, because I promise that it won't just change their life, it will change your life. Do I know everything about disability ministry? Do I have all the answers? Have I done everything perfectly? I've absolutely not, but we are gonna continue this conversation so that people of all abilities can have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in him and serve him with the gifts that he has given them.