In the Bible, in Romans 1, we are told that all people can know the truth about the existence of God because He has made it obvious to us. Through everything He has made, we can clearly see His invisible qualities - His eternal power and His divine nature. There is no excuse for not knowing God. But due to the fact that the prince of this world, the devil, has blinded people’s eyes to truth, many people do not believe in the existence of the God of the Bible, or even a Creator of any kind.
The devil has taken those things that God has made, the things we see all around us, and has deceived people into thinking they just happened by chance, by natural selection, by survival of the fittest, over millions of years. If you are familiar with Charles Darwin, you will know that he grew up under the instruction of the Bible, yet his theories came about because he decided the Word of God was not true and reliable. And now so much of our regular life is influenced by the evolutionary theories started by this one man - its in our entertainment, our education, the way we naturally relate to people different from us, even the way we think about the people in the Old Testament. (Have you ever pictured Abraham or Noah or other well known figures as looking like cave men or neanderthals?)
Recently my family watched various events from the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, France. I would like to propose to you that these games are evidence for the existence of a creating God and against an evolutionary belief system.
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made
Those participating in the Paralympics have some form of physical or mental disability. Some are missing arms or legs. Some have all their body parts, but are unable to use them. Some are blind. Some are deaf. Some are adults with the mental age of children. But wow!! They all have been fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God! (Psalm 139).
These people are fit, strong, gifted, creative, able to compete in ways the rest of us never can. Why? Because they are made in the image of God. He designed them that way for His glory.
These people have great worth and value. Why? Not because of their outward appearance or athletic prowess, as so much of culture values, but because they are made in the image of God.
These people are still living because they are made in the image of God. Because God has put in all people an awareness of Him and a value for the life He created.
Survival of the Fittest = A Flawed Belief
Back to the evolution argument. This entire paralympic competition defies evolutionary thinking. Survival of the fittest, we are taught. Only the best, the strongest, the most adapted, will survive and reproduce. Time and death weeds out all the rest. This is true for animals and humans are just another kind of animal.
If evolution was true, if we lived according to that belief system, the human “herd” would have left all these people to die at birth or when they were no longer able to function as before. If evolution was true, why should we even care about these people? Why should anyone create competitive games for them and award them with gold medals and international recognition? They are the least of the human kind and we only celebrate those who are “whole” and the most evolved of humans.
How about this interesting statistic - the country with the most medals won was China. A country that was known for it’s “one-child policy” and for discarding those children who are not considered desirable. Yet China is also one of the greatest places of growth for followers of Jesus Christ and believers in the one true God.
I am reminded of the man who Jesus and His disciples met in Jerusalem who was born blind. Evolution wasn’t a thing back then, but there was still incorrect thinking about people with disabilities and the reason behind them. The disciples asked Jesus, “Who sinned that caused this man to be born blind - him or his parents?” And Jesus responded, “This man’s blindness has nothing to do with sin. He was born blind so that the glory of God might be displayed in him.” And right there, Jesus healed the man of his blindness, demonstrating the glory of God in front of a watching crowd. (John 9).
Designed by God
The people participating in the Paralympics, and those like them all over the world, should be viewed differently by the followers of Jesus. We need to see them and their differences, not as something to be offended by or made uncomfortable by, not as something to cause us to turn away from them, not as someone cursed by God. Instead, we should see them as someone pointing us to the Creator who loves them and loves their body with its uniqueness because He designed them for His own glory. Some He formed that way in their mother’s womb (Psalm 139), and praise the Lord that their mother chose life for them! Some He allowed to undergo a trial in life to alter their body, but still for His glory and to make Himself known to them and through them.
The next time you are in the presence of someone different from you, whether it be disability or simply skin color, remember they display the glory of God. Consider how you can respond to them in a way that acknowledges their value in His eyes. You might even be the one to show that person that they are evidence for a loving, creating God!
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