The president’s address this month to a joint session of Congress was eventful, to say the least. A highlight was when President Trump appointed a 13 year old brain cancer survivor DJ Daniel as an honorary Secret Service agent. He was immediately “sworn in” by Director Sean Curran. 

Six years ago, doctors gave DJ five months to live. Since then, he has undergone 13 brain surgeries. Throughout this ordeal, DJ has always dreamed of becoming a police officer. Over 100 different law enforcement agencies have sworn him into their ranks.  

Recently, a video surfaced on social media of DJ being bullied and ridiculed for wearing his police uniform. Most people find how the young boy is treated in the video abhorrent, and the reason for this is because of an idea found only in the Bible. That is, every individual bears the image of God, (Genesis 1:26-27) and this includes the old and the young, the healthy and the sick, the disabled and the fully abled.  

While the Bible doesn’t provide a single, systematic “policy” on disability, the biblical idea of imago Dei introduced to the world a different way to think about all people. Among the vast fruit born of this idea over the centuries, is seeing those people with disabilities as of equal value and purpose, regardless of physical or intellectual limitations. It was an idea that countered the tendency across so many cultures to see certain people as less human, burdensome, or unworthy of life. Jesus consistently showed this contrast in how he approached people—with compassion to the marginalized, including those with disabilities. 

In a Breakpoint commentary from 2009, Chuck Colson described the imago Dei this way:  

Being created in the Imago Dei endows every person with dignity—a dignity that is not derived from the majority’s opinion (or a government definition) about the quality of their life or their contribution to society. 

In the absence of this belief, every decision about the allocation of healthcare—and indeed about any area of life—becomes an occasion for the young and strong to impose their will on the old and weak. 

The word for this is “tyranny.” And all the hand-wringing and rationalizations about the need to overhaul the healthcare system shouldn’t distract us from the very real danger of nationalizing health care and granting government the power to decide whose life is worth living. 

Chuck knew about caring for those with disabilities. Whenever I’m asked what I consider to be Chuck’s best writing, without hesitation I point to the introduction and epilogue of Dancing With Max, a book authored by Chuck’s daughter, Emily about Chuck’s grandson, Max. Listen to Chuck describe how what he believed about the image of God became so personal: 

This is a love story. Love is the mark of the Christian, as Francis Schaeffer once wrote, the first Christian virtue. The essence of God himself. Emily and Max have taught me about love in a deeper way than I’ve ever understood before. I have witnessed love that perseveres. I have marveled at how God has poured his grace through them, guiding them through agonizing trials and pain—and then I have witnessed in the end the triumph of love. 

March is Disability Awareness Month. I know of no better example and teacher for the Church in this area than Joni Erickson-Tada and her ministry Joni and Friends. During this month, Joni and Friends is highlighting their work through Joni’s House Nepal, a place where 420 families are seen, loved and shown dignity. Kalyani, who suffers from dwarfism, is among the many helped by Joni’s work in Nepal, where those born with disabilities are often viewed as sub-human. To earn enough money to eat, Kalyani used to carry buckets of compost manure on her back. She says, “I don’t like to think about those times.” 

Her life changed when Kalyani met the team from Joni and Friends.  

The Joni’s House team constructed a shed and pen for Kalyani to raise chickens, offering her dignity in her community and a sustainable source of income. Joni’s House has also provided the chicken feed, feeding pots, and materials Kalyani needs to grow her business.  Kalyani is no longer scared. Now she says, “I used to have no one to help me. I used to weep and wander around. I had no parents to love and care for me. Now I feel like I found my parents whose love I did not have.” 

God’s love extends to image bearers such as DJ Daniel, Kalyani, and Max. Ours should too, if we embrace the dignity of the imago Dei.