Years ago, a unique little girl, Bethany Hope Bowditch passed into glory, after 17 years of life. Her life was fraught with difficulty, for she was born with severe mental and physical disabilities She never walked, never talked, communicated in very basic forms, and had the mental age of approximately an eleven-month-old. Yet her life was not vain; far from it in fact, as those of us who loved her could testify. I consider myself greatly enriched for knowing her, and learned many valuable lessons from her. It is on those lessons that I wish to enlarge, so that we might all learn from the life of this unique child. These are the spiritual lessons I learned from Bethany: may they reach to your spirit as well.
1 There is an inherent dignity in mankind (Gen. 1:27). Darwinian evolution teaches that man is simply the most intelligent, strongest, and most adaptable of the animals, and thus he enjoys his position. Much of our society follows suit, ascribing worth to a person only based upon his abilities, power, wealth, attractiveness, etc. Bethany had none of these things. She was not able to contribute to society, she wrote no novels, composed no masterpieces, conquered no cities, discovered no equations; yet she had true, inherent worth, for she was made in the image of almighty God. Bethany was valuable, priceless in fact.
2 Sin is an insidious and vicious plague on creation (Gen 3:16-18; Psa 51:5). We all know sin is wrong, and is an offense against God. But it is easy to forget how truly horrible and destructive it is. The effects of sin go far beyond the individual, affecting all creation, and causing untold suffering to many. Bethany suffered greatly because of the curse of sin, even before she was born. Sinful choices of others, directly and indirectly caused this child’s suffering. The sin of Adam, and 6000 years of human sinfulness following, caused even DNA to be corrupted. Whenever I am tempted to think of my sin as but a little thing, I think of Bethany, and remember the horrible long-term consequences of sin.
3 Some problems cannot be solved, and some questions cannot be answered (Isa 55:8-9). Bethany would have countless doctors, therapists, nurses, and operations in her life. Many of them were successful in some small way, but none of them were ever able to resolve her struggles. None of them could heal her mind, transform her body, and cause her to leap up and speak. Yet this was no reason not to try to improve her quality of life. Just because a problem is too great to ever be solved does not mean that one aught not at least mitigate it. Furthermore, there was no good answer as to why God made her as he did. Why would God give her so much pain, confusion, and suffering? Why would he not give her the basic abilities common to the sons and daughters of Adam? Many may speculate, or come up with trite speeches on this subject, but no-one can truly answer it. I am by nature a problem solver and a “why” asker, yet from Bethany I learned that some problems cannot be solved, so I must mitigate them without hope of complete victory; and some questions can’t be answered, so I must trust in the wisdom of God even when I cannot see it.
4 Suffering is not an evil thing (1 Pet 4:12-13). We live in a hedonistic society, when pleasing one’s self is the highest good, and suffering is the worst evil. Yet this is not so for the Christian. Suffering is a part of living, and is not in any way ignoble or evil. We often avoid suffering people, thinking they must be in some way diseased, and we dread suffering like death itself. When we suffer, we think the world is unfair for giving us something that is so horrible. I often am tempted to lash out at God for my sufferings and anguish It is wrong, it is unfair, it is simply evil that I should suffer! But I think of Bethany, and I remember her sufferings, and mine do not seem so bad. I see how God used her in them, and helped her, in her own way, overcome them, and I see that suffering is not evil, only despair in suffering.
5 God cares for all people, and so must I (Matt 10:29-31; Jn 21:17). Bethany never prayed to God over great matters: she never pleaded for her life when attacked by an angry mob, she never asked that souls be saved through her words, she never had to bring matters of life and death before the Most High, for she had not the capacity to do so. Hers was a simple life, and simple needs. Yet these were not below God, and he cared for her most simple of needs. He did not give up his care of her, deeming it beneath him to condensed to such a child, but rather, took special care for her. He provided her a loving home, loving parents, necessary medical help, tools and devices to make her life easier, food deliveries, etc. I had opportunity to see God provide for her, often through unexpected sources. Furthermore, I had opportunity to see two godly parents care for her needs with utmost attention, as the very hands of God himself. They did not consider it a mean and lowly job, but faithfully cared for her with the same tenderness and devotion as a pastor cares for his flock. From this I learned the detailed and specific care God gives to his people, and learned to give myself to the selfsame task, regardless of whether the need is big or small. Whether it will shake the world, or simply encourage the littlest of lambs, God cares for his people, and so must I.
6 God loves unconditionally (Rom 5:6-8). I will admit it, loving Bethany was sometimes difficult for me, and my limited capacity to love. The difficulty was found in that only unconditional love would do. Bethany would never say thank you, never express appreciation, never say “I love you,” and often, never even notice your efforts on her behalf. Other people would not notice and commend me for it, and it would win me no applause from the masses. Bethany’s limited capacity made it impossible to express love in the same way as us, and thus impossible to give back our affections in the ways we expect. To love Beth was to love her regardless of what you would get in return. It was to give, and never receive, work, and never be comforted, love, and never be thanked. Yet this is the way God loves me, and yet more so. Not only did God love me when I could do nothing for him, he loved me when I was actively seeking his harm. He loved me, not only when I was unable to be righteous, but actively wicked and loathsome. He did not love be because of some worth I had, or something he hoped to gain from me, he loved me because he chose to, regardless of myself. I am incapable of the same capacity of unconditional love as God, but thanks to Christ, I am capable of it in a more limited way. I am ever in debt to Bethany for teaching me the true happiness and joy that comes from giving unconditional, self-sacrificing love; for when doing so, one is that much closer to understanding God, for God is love.
7 God will be glorified in his people, regardless of their abilities (1 Cor 1:26-29; 2 Cor 12:9). We know that God is glorified through his people, and what a privilege this is: that the ever-glorious God should be glorified by such as ourselves. But God needs not great men to be glorified. It is true that God can glorify himself through the great men; through their wondrous works and superb abilities. But it is equally true, yea, more often true, that God can be glorified through the weak, through those with no power or ability. God can make a small thing into a great colossus, and turn the meanest of men into objects of his glory. Bethany had few abilities, few opportunities for service, few times to stand in the limelight; yet she truly glorified God, and was used mightily by him. If nothing else, she taught me these seven profound truths: I have known greater men of wisdom and might who have taught me far less. Bethany was a blessing to many lives, and was used by God to do wondrous works in the lives of many; Oh, that this same thing could be true of me. Bethany gives me hope that God can use me mightily as well, despite my failings
