“For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are: that no flesh should boast before God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29, WEB)
There is a great misunderstanding within the churches today as to who is qualified to be a teacher, a pastor, a missionary, or who has a legitimate calling from God on their lives. More often than not, churches look to those who are good communicators, those with a natural charisma and energy about them, and those of course who can relate to those within the congregation on a personal level. Someone must be able to socialize, they must be able to inspire, and they must above all else be relational. Churches look for all of these natural qualities in their leadership, and disregard those who do not display them. God forbid someone who is neurodivergent should begin talking about being “called” towards ministry. The prevailing thinking within churches, denominations, and para-church organizations is that God would not, or even cannot call someone with a social or a psychological disability, someone who is neurologically atypical to pastoral or clerical ministry. How could someone, for example, with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder even being to fulfill such a role?
This is a gross misunderstanding and misconception, both of what it actually means to be a Christian and a disciple, and of how God works. God most certainly can and does do so. As Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, God explicitly doesn’t call those who have natural advantages where their flesh is concerned. He explicitly calls those who are disadvantaged, those who are weak, and those who have disabilities.
Why does He do this? Because the disability offers both a disadvantage and an advantage. It is a disadvantage in that the person cannot function "normally" in such situations, becomes overwhelmed all too easily, is awkward, and has trouble relating to those to whom he is ministering. So, where the flesh is concerned, and for what most congregations are looking because they misunderstand what discipleship is about, it is a disadvantage. For them, church is about listening to sermons and socializing and being relational with like minded friends. While they talk about the Spirit, their practice and thinking are rooted and grounded in the flesh and the physical. For most congregations, they “set their minds on earthly things,” as Paul wrote.
But for the same reasons it is a disadvantage for the flesh, it is an advantage where the Spirit of Christ is concerned, because when the Spirit is in control, there can be no doubt. This person becomes a living, breathing example of the difference between functioning from the flesh and functioning from the Spirit, because when he is functioning from the Spirit of Christ, he all of the sudden appears "normal," functional, social, capable of teaching and preaching, and capable of mirroring others emotions and feelings when, by all rights, such things should be impossible. This person functionally disabled according to the flesh yet called by God becomes the lesson himself just by being who he is and submitting to and cooperating with the Spirit of Christ.
And many congregations and church-goers do not understand the lesson, or even its possibility, because they do not understand what being a disciple of Jesus Christ, a “Christian,” actually means. They make a great pretense about being imputed with the “righteousness” of Christ for salvation, but don’t understand that it is not a pretend “righteousness” or right state of being, but His actual right state of being which assumes control of the behavior of the person who submits to and cooperates with the Spirit of Christ. It is not a mere facade that fools God into letting them into heaven, but it is the power and presence of Jesus Christ Himself that manifests within this person who voluntarily cedes control of his words and actions to Him.
With this understanding, the person with ASD, ADHD, or any other neurodivergence who learns and disciplines himself to disengage from his own malfunctioning behavioral responses and engage with the Spirit of Christ so that He becomes the source of behavior becomes God’s living, explicit, and undeniable object lesson of what it means to be a disciple, a “Christian” in the original, most genuine sense. That is, a person who manifests Jesus Christ.
Some time ago, I watched a movie about a man with Tourette Syndrome who became an elementary school teacher. He had the passion and the calling for it, but was told again and again how he just couldn’t do it because of his disability. He was discriminated against at the university because of it. School after school wouldn’t hire him until one decided to give him a try, feeling as though they would be hypocrites if they didn’t. He became the best teacher in the school, and would later win an award as the best teacher in his state.
Never assume that God can’t use or isn’t calling someone because they are neurodivergent, or have a disorder or disability in some way. These are the people God DOES call precisely because of their obvious weaknesses. It’s in their weaknesses that His power and presence are seen more clearly.
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