Why I Hope Your Church Looks Like This Video

By Barb Stanley

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/7f9018_2d1a69fd5e0644a297ffb2819d09e0a3/480p/mp4/file.mp4

I was walking down my stairs a few weeks ago when I spotted a sweet scene unfolding in my living room. My son, Logan, was having a dance party with my brother, Brian, who was visiting from West Virginia. I hit record, then posted the video on my personal social media account along with the other photos from the weekend. The video quickly became one of our most popular ever. While I am sure my son would like to believe that was because of his slick dance moves, I suspect there is another reason.

I believe that most people watching this video assume that what they are seeing is a young man being kind to his disabled uncle by dancing with him. I suspect that many find this touching, and some may leave reminded that they too should be kind to people who have disabilities. This is wrong. This is not what is happening in this video at all.

What this video shows is an uncle being kind to his nephew by dancing with him.

You see my son loves to dance. He has been dancing his feet off since he could toddle around. He constantly has music playing and will start an impromptu dance-off with anyone who is willing to join in. But the truth is most people are not willing to join in. Most people do not love dancing as much as Logan does. My brother also does NOT love dancing. But he does love his nephew. And so, he joins in. Year after year, visit after visit, they dance. One year, Logan even tried to teach him the Cabbage Patch, the Sprinkler, and the Shopping Cart. (And yes, that was a sight to see.) 

Brian, whose spiritual gift is giving, freely gives his time to the people he loves by joining them in the things that they love to do. This is a gift to my children that has made a lasting impact on their lives. They love their Uncle Brian as much as he loves them. It is a beautiful thing in our family. This relationship and the space for Brian to be himself are made possible because when he is with us, we make adaptations and accommodations to meet his needs. In fact, creating accessible environments is just a normal part of everyday life for all families impacted by disability. Sometimes, this requires extra planning, more time, and doing things differently, but families do this because if they didn't, then someone important would be missing.

And this is why I hope your church looks like this video. Not because your foyers are filled with people spontaneously breaking out into dance. (Though I hope that is true.) But because when environments are accessible enough for people to just be themselves, relationships will grow, spiritual gifts will blossom, and joy will burst through the house.

Always, remember that every member of a family is important, and this is true for church families too. Thank you for supporting our mission to help equip churches to become accessible for all members of the family. Together, we are better.

If your church would like to learn more about becoming accessible for families impacted by disability please visit us at wonderfulworksministry.org