One Mother’s Day, several years ago, I was invited to share a presentation at my church. One of my remarks was not an original thought, but it’s an important one: you never know who you are raising for the kingdom of God. Billy Graham had a mom and dad; so did Mother Teresa, so did George Washington, and the apostle Paul. Name your hero; each one had parents or parental figures and other people of influence who shaped and molded these historical giants.

But how does that fit into special needs ministry? What if your child has significant disabilities? What gifts do people with significant disability or impairment provide to the kingdom of God?

In my day job with Key Ministry, we’ve had some recent blog posts describing the impact that the mere presence of disabled children or adults have had on faith communities. Whether those individuals are verbal or not, they are making a profound contribution to the spiritual growth of all of those around them, by bearing living witness to the sanctity of every life.

Today, I offer up another example with a different perspective. Perhaps surprisingly, it is the perspective of people with significant disabilities being sinners saved by God’s grace.

I know my own heart: I have walked away from Jesus, I have walked closely beside Him. Significant confession, repentance and conforming to the image of Christ have been required to sanctify this wretched sinner.

But a person with a cognitive disability? I tend to think of individuals with Down Syndrome or significant intellectual impairment as ones who have nothing to confess.

Apparently that’s not the case. Or at least that’s not the case for a woman I’ll call Jenny.

Jenny sits on the front row of my church, every Sunday. Jenny has the noticeable facial traits of Down Syndrome, and though she is a middle-aged adult, she is small in stature. On any given Sunday morning, Jenny does more to point to the need for Jesus’ cleansing from personal sin than I probably do in a year.

Every Sunday, throughout the praise and worship time, Jenny’s hands are in the air. When the pastor makes a comment that is meaningful to her, she shouts out “Jesus!”

But it’s the end of the service where Jenny shows up the rest of us. Music softly plays while the pastor and prayer team members are available to meet and pray with individuals. Jenny prostrates herself at the front of the stage.

It’s hard for me to imagine that Jenny’s life is riddled with sin. But Jesus called each one of us to follow Him, to be changed to be like Him, to do what the Holy Spirit tells us to do. From my little window into Jenny’s world, this is exactly what she is doing in her relationship with Christ.

There is no shame, no holding back, just genuine worship and repentance at the place my church has designated as a modern-day altar. Week after week, Jenny is there, pouring out her heart to the Lord, alternating face-down on the stairs and on her knees, hands raised and face aglow in adoration and worship of her Lord.

Most weeks, when the music stops, Jenny makes her way to the pastor, holding his hand as he delivers his closing remarks, often echoing his comments. She’s become a beloved fixture in our second morning service. And she’s joined our welcome team! She proudly wears the T-shirt that lets newcomers know she can help them find the worship center.

My church doesn’t have an official special needs ministry. But Jenny and other people in our faith community with disabilities are loved, welcomed, and their gifts are given a place for sharing.

I know absolutely nothing about Jenny, except what I see from a distance on Sunday morning. But Jenny had a mom and dad, there were obviously others in her past and likely in her present who taught her about Jesus, about repentance and about service for His kingdom.

Parents, you don’t know who you are raising for the kingdom of God. Today, I hope you will pray for ALL of your kids to do greater things for the kingdom than you ever will. God is using special needs ministry to point non-believers boldly to the truth of the gospel, even that part about how everyone has sinned and needs a Savior.