There’s something you may not know about R.C. Sproul and Chuck Colson.
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and my husband Ken and I sure do count it an honor to be friends with these two men and their families, but R.C. and Chuck Colson share something in common that makes their families unique. You see both R.C. Sproul and Chuck are grandfathers to a grandchild that has a disability. Chuck Colson’s grandson, Max, is an active teenager who has autism – the Colson family laughs when they describe Max’s behavior as a spoon in a blender. And R.C. Sproul’s grandchild, little Shannon, oh, she is the most charming little girl with a very serious brain disorder that has left her unable to speak, feed, or take care of herself. Shannon’s disability involves a brain that is flat with no convolutions and, of course that means this child also suffers from lots of seizures.
Well, not long ago, our ministry at Joni and Friends did a behind-the-scenes television episode on these two families, and I was so blessed by the comments from both Chuck and R.C. R.C.’s son, R.C. Jr., and his wife, Denise, had some wonderful and very insightful things to say about Shannon – just to watch this little girl interact with her siblings, some of whom R.C. Jr. and Denise have adopted, was so touching. But I was especially deeply moved when R.C. Jr. looked into the camera and with eyes that were wet, he talked about how the Bible calls children a blessing from God to the parents. And he added this: he said, “There’s no qualification for children being a blessing – it doesn’t say only “healthy” children are a blessing; the Bible speaks of all children born to their parents as being a blessing. And Shannon is just that – she’s a joy; we’ve been so enriched, so blessed by her!”
Boy, that spoke to me, and I thought of the many, many parents of disabled children who will watch this TV episode… parents who do not yet consider their disabled child a blessing. Oh, is the Sproul family going to have a ministry to those moms and dads! But R.C. Jr. said something else to say. He talked about how he loves all his children without favoritism. It’s just the way of a good father to love all his children unreservedly and equally. But then R.C. Jr. added that when one of your children is frail, when one of them is weak, it elicits something special from the parent, and that is, compassion.
And then he said: “That’s exactly the way God the Father is with us, His children. Oh sure, God loves us all and the Bible makes it clear He shows no favoritism among his children, but it is the frailness and the weakness of certain of His children that elicits His compassion. And I’m convinced that is why people with disabilities – whether they are children or adults – disabled people have a special place in God's heart. His compassion is poured out upon the child with spina bifida, or the teenager with bipolar disorder, or the adult who is blind, or the senior who has Alzheimer’s. People with disabilities are the recipients of God's great compassion in a way that is different from His other children. The Bible says that God sees – He recognizes, He considers, He weighs – our affliction. He knows when we are weak and frail and He responds with His heart.”
There’s so much more I’d like to say about this special TV episode with the families of Chuck Colson and R.C. Sproul, but you’ve got to see it for yourself. You can watch a bit of the episode yourself by visiting me today at joniandfriendsradio.org. I know you will be blessed by Dr. Sproul’s and Chuck Colson’s words, and you’ll have a chance to see their disabled grandchildren. Again, that’s joniandfriendsradio.org. And if you’re really inspired, hey, we’ll direct you to our main website where you can watch the whole TV episode right online. It is our weakness that elicits God's compassion – that’s something to encourage you today from Chuck Colson and R.C. Sproul and their grandchildren.
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