by Mona Fuerstenau
If you have read any of the articles I have submitted over the past year or so, you will not be surprised that I feel this theme—We All Belong—speaks directly to people with disabilities. Their message and that of their allies, like me, to the church at large is “We belong! We are part of God’s family, too. We have gifts and experiences to contribute.”
I especially like to think about how no matter what our differences or abilities, we belong to each other because we are connected through the Body of Christ. What a great feeling it is to know that you belong!
It might feel uncomfortable to know that someone so different from us belongs to the family of Christ just as much as we do. God in His divine plan and wisdom created difference! All difference. All ability. And all are His beloved children. And all belong.
There is a praise song by Peter Scholtes that was popular many years ago. It is called “We Are One in the Spirit.” You may remember it, too. It has been going through my head these past few weeks—ringing in my thoughts and mind as I prepared for a presentation for Life Week 2021 about people with disabilities being indispensable. As I watched January’s events unfold in our nation’s capital. As I wrote and prepped for the inaugural session for my podcast Amplify! As I wrote this article about belonging.
The lyrics talk about unity in the Spirit. About walking and working together. About sharing the Gospel together. About unity of purpose. It’s about belonging to each other as we follow Christ. It’s an ideal. It’s a dream. It’s a goal for the Body of Christ.
May it be so.