The Answerer

An awful lot of people have asked or thought upon that question. Especially me.

Yes! This writer has been a T12 incomplete paraplegic for 37 years.

That means my legs do not work and never will.

A short answer…I do not know, but this is a longish answer:

Exactly what is a disability? There are hundreds of them and some are brought on by the use of drugs, alcohol and smoking and also industrial poisoning.

In Jesus’ day many were not healed. Why? On one occasion Jesus left a crowd without healing all who were sick. Jesus said: “I must go on to other villages and tell them the ‘good news’”.

Question 72 says: “Why does there have to be heartache for there to be compassion?” Very insightful for a child to see that.

Suppose a foolish woman conceives a baby. She continues smoking and drinking. She is told, “It will damage the baby,” but continues to drink and smoke and the baby does have a mental disability. The child must suffer, being not normal for all his life. Awful!

Should she call on God to ‘heal her child’ of this disability? And when he does, she may do the same with the next baby!

I worked as a teacher in a school for children with disabilities for a while. I soon noticed that a disabled child brought out the best or worst in parents. Some parents were just lovely in their care for their child. Others ‘did a runner’ to escape and some never really learnt how to ‘handle’ a disabled child.

I have also noticed that quite a few people I have known who had never been sick or ‘down in the pits’ of life were quite often uncaring for those who suffered a lot. If they got sick, had a close shave with death in a car smash or something similar - then they became changed people: They became more caring and helpful for those in need.

This life (~70 years) is really only a preparation for life after death. (Eternity is forever.) Sickness, although painful, often brings out in people compassion and love they never would have dreamed of without seeing, or having, a disability.

I cannot, dare not, dwell on why!

Euthanasia: People who are suffering, really suffering from various diseases and would rather be dead than live any longer pose a terrible dilemma for caring doctors. They know the anguish of not being able to help that person die even though that is their dearest wish to be out of this world. I personally would lean towards not prolonging a life that has run its course and there is no hope of recovery. The Bible does not touch on this dilemma, but there is in this modern world an awful lot of unseen suffering.

(I said it would be long. Sorry.)