“Fixing”

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

I’ll admit, it’s tempting to want to find a “fix” for our kids with special needs. Because we want them to enjoy a better quality of life, we can easily spend a lot of time and energy running to doctors, therapists, or treatment centers in an effort to correct their issues. The danger lies in whether we are actively pursuing options that will help our kids function better or simply trying to ‘fix’ their issues so they meet our expectations or fit into a societal mold.

We need to stop trying to ‘fix’ our kids, our spouses, and our friends and learn to love and accept them as they are. To be honest, you and I aren’t perfect either. Yet, despite our limitations and imperfections, God loves us unconditionally.

Some things aren’t meant to be ‘fixed’ on this side of eternity because God longs to use them as they are. For that matter, God uses me, a flawed and imperfect vessel with many cracks and leaks, because my weakness and imperfect state of being push me to be more dependent on Him. If we read through the Bible, we will discover that many of the men and women God hand-picked to lead His people were individuals with huge character flaws, yet God used them to further His kingdom.

I love this excerpt written by an individual with Asperger’s. “So please, I don’t need to be fixed or cured because I am not broken or sick – and I don’t want that anyway. I am not defective just because I am not like you. I am different because God wanted to give us a big, bright, beautiful world that is full of a lot of different flavors. Autism is just one of the more exotic ones.”

Thought: “If God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done.” – Rick Warren