God Teaches Me Through My Daughter with Down Syndrome
Every Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I join a Zoom call with her friend and her friend’s mom, who live a few hours away—for a special time we’ve come to call “God Talk.”
My 17-year-old daughter, Penny, and her 18-year-old friend, Rachel, both have Down syndrome. A while back, Rachel noticed us praying before meals and asked if she could join us. This led to a few conversations about what it looks like to follow Jesus. And eventually, as Rachel’s mother, Ginny, told me a few weeks later, every night Rachel extended her hands and said, “Thank you, God, for having us.”
That’s when the four of us decided to start reading The Jesus Storybook Bible together over Zoom. In our first chat ever, I asked the girls how God sees us—and without hesitation, Rachel said, “God just loves us to pieces.” The truth of God’s love and welcome seemed to sink into her being, as if we had simply given words to something she had subconsciously known all along.
I’m a 46-year-old woman with a master of divinity and credentials as a pastor—and I learn something new every week from reading and praying with Penny and Rachel. They have taught me a more expansive way to encounter God through the Bible.
In the early days of Penny’s life, I remember a friend saying to me, “I can’t wait to see the ministry that Penny will have.” It had not occurred to me that Penny would have a ministry of her own. His words helped me look for her gifts and not just her needs as she grew up.
But “God Talk” with Penny and Rachel has helped me recognize that their spiritual lives in and of themselves are a gift. While I can identify ways and places where these two young women might minister to others, I can also simply receive grace, truth, and wisdom from who they are.
My experience with Penny and Rachel made me wonder about the spiritual lives of other people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. So, I set out to interview several others with Down syndrome, autism, and similar conditions.
I receive the gift of being in community with Penny and Rachel as well as other people with intellectual disabilities who are members of our own local church. Knowing them, as well as watching them grow spiritually, has expanded my awareness of God’s tender care and loving-kindness.
They have offered me simple expressions of faith. They have challenged me to live in love. And they have helped me see that I cannot write about the gift of their spiritual lives unless I know them intimately—a knowledge far deeper than a 30-minute phone or Zoom call can afford.
Also Read:
Devotional
Nehemiah’s Leadership Playbook: Discretion
Inspirational
Just A Box of Crayons
Testimonies
When I Opened My Bible, God Gave Me a Magnifying Glass
