Reflection: Wonderfully Made

A Reflection on Faith, Neurodiversity, Disability and Discovering God's Grace

There are moments in life when people see only what they believe is "wrong" with you.

They see the labels before they see the person.

They see the diagnosis before they see the child of God.

They see the struggle before they see the gifts.

For much of my Life I have lived with dyspraxia. Alongside this Journey I have also experienced dyslexia, dyscalculia, hypermobility, anxiety and periods of depression.

These things are part of my story, but they are not the whole of my story.

They have shaped my experiences, but they do not define my identity.

My identity is found first and foremost in God.

I have reached a point in my life where instead of constantly asking:

"Why me, Lord?"

I have learned to pray:

"Lord, how can you use this?"

That change in perspective has transformed the way I see myself.

I do not see my life as something that requires people to feel sorry for me.

I do not want people to look at me with pity.

I do not want to be treated as less capable, less intelligent, or like a child.

I want to be seen as God sees me.

A person created in His image.

A person with gifts.

A person with purpose.

A person loved completely by Jesus Christ.

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Seeing God's Grace in My Journey

Living with dyspraxia has not always been easy.

There are challenges that many people never see. Things that others may complete without thinking can require extra energy, patience and determination.

But dyspraxia has also given me gifts.

It has taught me perseverance.

It has taught me compassion.

It has taught me that everyone has their own journey and their own way of experiencing the world.

Taking a different path does not mean you are lost.

Sometimes God simply creates different paths because He has created different people.

Living with dyslexia has taught me that intelligence is not measured by how quickly someone reads, writes, or processes information.

God does not measure us by spelling tests or academic achievements.

He looks at the heart.

Living with dyscalculia has reminded me that we all have areas where we struggle.

Numbers may not always come easily, but that does not reduce my value.

A person is worth far more than their ability to calculate, remember information, or complete a task quickly.

Living with hypermobility has taught me to listen to my body and understand my limitations.

There are moments when physical challenges remind me that I am human.

But Scripture reminds us that God's strength is often revealed through our weakness.

Living with anxiety has taught me what it means to trust God when my own thoughts feel overwhelming.

Living through depression has deepened my understanding of suffering.

It has helped me recognise that many people carry invisible burdens.

It has taught me compassion.

It has taught me to listen.

It has taught me that even in darkness, God is still present.

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Learning from the Saints

When I look at the saints of the Church, I am reminded that God has never chosen people because they were perfect.

God chooses ordinary people and works through their weaknesses.

The saints were not people who had everything together.

They were people who trusted God with their whole lives.

Saint Paul spoke about his own weakness when he wrote:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."(2 Corinthians 12:9)

Paul understood that his struggles did not prevent God from using him. Instead, God's strength was revealed through his humanity.

Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that holiness is not about status or perfection. It is about simplicity, humility and seeing God's presence in all creation.

Saint Francis was someone who saw value where others saw little worth. His life reminds me that every person has dignity and purpose.

Saint Benedict of Nursia teaches us about patience, community and creating places where people can grow. His Rule reminds us that people need understanding, care and compassion.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux showed that small acts of love can have enormous meaning. She reminds us that we do not have to achieve greatness in the eyes of the world to be precious to God.

Saint John Henry Newman wrote about the importance of recognising God's personal calling for each person. His life reminds us that every individual has a unique vocation.

And perhaps most importantly, when we look at the saints, we see people who were fully human.

They had doubts.

They had struggles.

They had moments of weakness.

Yet God worked through them.

Why should my journey be any different?

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The Church and Neurodiversity

The Church has a beautiful opportunity to become a place where every person knows they belong.

Too often people with disabilities or neurodivergent minds feel that they must fit into a certain mould before they can truly belong.

But Jesus never asked people to change before approaching Him.

He welcomed people exactly where they were.

The Church should be a place where people are not defined by their challenges but celebrated for their gifts.

Neurodiversity is not something for the Church to simply accommodate.

It is something the Church should embrace as part of the richness of God's creation.

The Body of Christ is not made up of identical people.

It is made up of many different people, with different gifts, different experiences and different ways of seeing the world.

Every person matters.

Every person belongs.

Every person has something to offer.

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Come Tired. Come Real. Come Broken.

So when I come to church, I do not come pretending that everything is perfect.

I come with my whole story.

I come with my dyspraxia.

I come with my dyslexia.

I come with my dyscalculia.

I come with my hypermobility.

I come with my anxiety.

I come with my experiences of depression.

I come with my strengths.

I come with my weaknesses.

I come tired.

I come real.

I come broken.

And I come because Jesus welcomes me.

Not because I have everything figured out.

Not because I am perfect.

But because I am loved.

The invitation of Christ is simple:

Come.

Come with your fears.

Come with your struggles.

Come with your questions.

Come with your whole self.

Come to the Cross.

Come to the Heart of Jesus.

Because my worth does not come from what I can do.

My worth comes from whose I am.

I am God's child.

I am loved by Christ.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

My conditions are part of my journey, but they are not my identity.

My identity is found in Jesus.

And that is enough.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."(Psalm 139:14)

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."(2 Corinthians 12:9)

Thanks be to God. Amen.