More from Glenda Durano

When I tell people my daughter lost her vision when she was 21 years old, they react with a blend of sympathy and sadness. What makes the story even more heartbreaking is that, when she became blind, Amberle was an aspiring missionary nurse.

Our family’s journey into disability was the most difficult thing we ever endured, and we never could have imagined how God would help Amberle use this experience for God’s glory and our good.

When Amberle was seven years old, she felt called to be a missionary to an unreached people group. As she grew and learned more about missions, however, she realized her goal would be difficult to achieve because the most effective missionaries to any group are indigenous to the group. As a white middle-class American, my daughter was not a member of any unreached people group—until she became blind. When my daughter lost her vision due to an allergic reaction, Amberle became a part of the world’s largest unreached group: people with disabilities. Amazingly, God used Amberle’s blindness as an answer to her prayers!

Over one billion people live with disabilities worldwide, and few of them will ever hear the gospel formally. In America, approximately one in four people is physically, developmentally, or intellectually disabled, but we don’t see that ratio in our churches.

After Amberle got out of the hospital and started attending church again, the church staff asked her to stop serving in her volunteer positions. They didn’t think she was capable because she was blind. It wasn’t that they were intentionally trying to exclude her; they just didn’t know how to include her.

That’s one reason why my daughter founded The Banquet Network. The Banquet Network is a non-profit organization that empowers churches to welcome and integrate individuals and families impacted by disabilities. In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul addresses the importance of disability inclusion in the Church when he writes, “Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Corinthians 12:22, NIV). While most Christians agree with that statement theologically, statistical evidence proves otherwise. Fewer than twenty percent of churches worldwide offer any sort of disability ministry.

Since 2017, The Banquet Network has helped dozens of churches create and implement customized, viable plans that match their specific mission and community. You can find out more about The Banquet Network at https://www.thebanquetnetwork.com.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (NIV).

God had an extraordinary purpose for my daughter’s blindness, and God is with you in your circumstance too. Life can be hard, but God is faithful. I pray today, that in whatever challenge you are experiencing, you will sense God’s presence and the promise of God’s love.