Why are There Children With Disabilities?

I came across a post from a Christian family that has a child with a severe disability. What they wrote was sobering to me, even though my child is "healthy." Read the whole thing. I was struck especially by their trust in the sovereign God who intends their suffering for good:

3. God brings children with disabilities into this world for good purposes.

God may use the disability to show a child that he is a dependent creature living in a fallen world. God might then open the child's eyes to the reality of sin and his need for a Savior. Why would God do it this way? We don't know, but He is good and always does what is right (Ps. 34:8). We would rather God use a disability to save our child than have a child with perfect health who spends eternity in Hell.

What about parents? In Romans 8:28, Paul writes, "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God." That is a hope-giving verse for believing parents. God could eliminate a child's disability in an instant (Ps. 135:6; Is. 45:6-7). If it remains (or even worsens), God has not failed. He is at work for His glory and our good. He is surely causing us to trust Him more. Or, He has plans to introduce us to people at the hospital(s) who are suffering without hope, that we might point them to the great Hope. He may even awaken us to our sinful neglect of the rejected of this world.

God may have hundreds, if not thousands, of good purposes in bringing a single child with a disability into this world. We can sing with confidence, "His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower."