My Answer: Physical handicaps don’t bar us from God

Q: I can’t get around very easily because of some physical disabilities. They’ve gotten worse recently, and now I’ve had to stop going to my church because it isn’t handicapped accessible. Will God understand why I don’t go anymore? — Mrs. A.B.

A: I want to assure you that God understands your situation, and he doesn’t look down on you because you can’t do everything you once did. The Bible says, “For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15).

At the same time, I urge you to do everything you can to keep contact with your church and its members. You need their encouragement and help — and your example can be an encouragement to them.

In addition, find ways to continue receiving spiritual help from your church’s ministry. Are sermons available through its website or by some other means? Have you told your pastor that you’d welcome visits?

The Bible says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

In addition, I hope your church will take steps to become more accessible. I’m thankful that many churches have already done this, and I hope yours will as well. Jesus went out of his way to seek out those who had difficulty reaching him. He even allowed some men to tear up the roof of a crowded house where he was speaking, so they could lower their paralyzed friend down to him (see Luke 5:19).

Take comfort also in Jesus’ promises about the future — his promise to be with you and his promise that someday we will go to be with him in heaven if we know Christ. Never forget: One day, all our earthly ills will be over, and we will be safely in his presence forever.

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Q: I’m pregnant, and now my boyfriend wants nothing to do with me. I thought having a baby would bring us together, but it didn’t. Now I have to decide if I’m going to keep the baby or have an abortion. I’m so confused. Nothing is turning out the way I hoped it would. What should I do? — K.S.

A: One of life’s hardest lessons (and one that I’m afraid some of us never learn) is that bad decisions always result in bad consequences — always. And hard as it may be for you to admit, you’re a victim of the bad decisions you’ve made.

But don’t make things worse by making more bad decisions. That little child growing within you isn’t just a piece of useless tissue, to be thrown away and forgotten (as some contend). He or she is a person, incomplete and not fully formed as yet, but a person nevertheless in the eyes of God.

God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5).

It may not be realistic for you to raise this child, but countless childless couples today would be thrilled to have the opportunity to do so. God has a way of turning the hard places in our lives into good, and this could be true for you. Placing your child up for adoption may not be easy for you in the short term, but later it could bring you great joy and peace.

The most important thing you need to do, however, is to turn to Jesus and open your life to him. God loves you, and he wants to mend your hurts and give you hope for the future. With Christ in your heart, this can happen — beginning today.

(Send your queries to “My Answer,” c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Assn., 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM; or visit https://www.billygraham.org.)