Disabled Descendants

In my morning devotional I read about Abram, later to become Abraham, the father of many nations.
Genesis records the genesis of that fatherhood and his burgeoning relationship with his God.

"When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, 'I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.'" (Genesis 17:1-2)

Earlier in the book of Genesis, God also speaks to Abram about his offspring.

"He (God) took him outside and said, 'Look up at the heavens and  count the stars -- if indeed you can count them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'" (Genesis 15:5)

With Abram, and even Adam and Eve before him, God's commandment was to be fruitful and multiply. They did, and we still do today. And while God promised Abraham numerous descendants, he did not promise him perfectly healthy descendants. Some of Abraham's descendants were stillborn. Some were born with Down Syndrome. Some were born with a cleft palate or deafness or blindness.

The fall into sin in the garden of Eden guaranteed imperfection. And that imperfection can show up in the health and abilities of our children. I know firsthand. My son has autism, Cerebral Palsy, developmental delay and a cyst on his brain. We were commanded to have children. We were not commanded to have healthy children.

Some things are out of our control. And if Abraham and his descendants weren't spared that reality, why do we think we will be or should be?

As soon to be parents we may tend to naively assume that everything about our unborn child will be perfect, "normal." That was never part of the promise. And if it happens to you-- if your child (like my child, like some of Abraham's children's children) has health or disability issues take comfort in knowing that others before you have walked this road. You didn't do anything to cause it to happen. It just happened. It's out of your control. But God is in control.