You can’t heal richness
As image-bearers of God, each person has a unique beauty.
I have dyslexia. Spelling and pronunciation are, for me, nonexistent abilities. While spell-check is a blessing, I recently gave a “mediation” rather than a “meditation” at church – spell-checking programs do not correct a wrong real word. And I must be careful when speaking not to confuse people with my pronunciation of more complicated words.
My problems are offset by my ability to understand mathematics and remember obscure information. And though now retired, I had a long career as a university professor on the neuroscience side of psychology. I would not want to be cured of my dyslexia. It made me who I am.
Is it a loss?
When I look at the richness of God’s creation, I see a remarkable diversity. No two trees are alike, and each pet is unique. I see the same diversity when I look at people; no two are alike. There is no cookie-cutter template that we all fit. Our individuality is evident in personality, body shape, skill set and hairstyle. Praise God for our differences.
It is not surprising that while all of us may miss one or another skill, we often also have unique offsetting abilities and gifts. People’s learning skills and mental abilities are diverse, which has now been captured in the term “neurodiversity.”
Some think about this neurodiversity in terms of losses; people say “I can’t spell” or “I don’t understand mathematics.” It is also sometimes seen as a brokenness because it leaves some people impaired, for example, with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or autism spectrum disorder. We think we ought to pray for healing from these differences. This view is often associated with discrimination against these individuals.
Two narratives
Those of us who are neurodiverse do not necessarily want healing. As image-bearers of God, we each show different aspects of the Godhead. Those with Down syndrome may have the gift of emotional richness. Those with autism spectrum disorder may be uniquely creative in art, science and technology. And yet Matthew 11:5 reports Jesus healed the blind, lame, lepers and the deaf, conditions which appear to be a result of our sin and brokenness. I am not sure how to combine these two narratives. Both perspectives appear real.
The same richness is evident in gender identity. The modern science around sexuality and gender makes plain that the notion of a simple binary of male and female types is a disservice to the richness of what God has given us. This richness is again clouded by our prejudice and our desire to simplify and limit what God has done. People come with complex gender identities where their genes don’t match their gender roles. People have a rich range of sexual orientations. Rather than forcing this colourful richness into a poor black-and-white picture, we should seek out ways to let God’s faithful love and flourishing grow for all of us.
