Okay, I’ll admit it; I’m a Hallmark movie junkie! Any time I watch I can count on a happy ending, and almost every scene in every movie is predictable. As a matter of fact, they are so predictable that my BINGO boards I made and distributed to friends during the Christmas season were a huge hit! I would get texts from them saying “almost kiss!” or “there is a prince!” regularly throughout December. Happy endings. Predictable lives. Not exactly the norm; not even close.
Now, I realize that bad things happen in this world; sin shows its ugly face often. But why can’t we just be nice to each other? Why do we hurt each other? Why do we leave people out? I’m not sure living inside a Hallmark movie would be the best thing for us, but there are times I do wonder how life would be if it were a bit more predictable. It would be nice if, when things don’t go our way, our response of “whatever” was a positive response and not said as if we were deflated or discouraged. What if our “whatever” wasn’t muttered with disgust but rather spoken with the joy of Jesus?
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
At Bethesda Lutheran Communities, we not only support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live full lives in the workplace and community, we also support people in their faith. We work hard to make sure every person supported by Bethesda has a sense of belonging and knows how to praise God in all sorts of “whatevers.” A perfect example of this faith journey is Alana.
Alana first came to Bethesda not even knowing what a church was, and a few years later she was confirmed in Christ. What a story! It is certainly worthy of praise! To view her story, go here.
Alana reminds us to celebrate life, for we are all fearfully and wonderfully made and we all belong in the Body of Christ.
For more information about Bethesda, go to BethesdaLC.org. If you have any questions regarding disability awareness or disability ministry, email us at ReligiousLife@BethesdaLC.org.