Sacred Bandwidth: How the Overlooked Hear God
If I were blind, my brain would learn to compensate for one of my lost senses because that is how neuroplasticity works. My other senses would become more engaged and heightened. The brain reprograms itself to make up for the damage and pull from other resources. Losing one sense gives others more bandwidth to flourish. I believe the spiritual world and the physical world are very much blended together. When people live only by their desires, the spiritual world becomes dim. We know the spirit world is very much present because if we obey the biblical principles of fasting, we turn down the volume of our flesh and feel God’s everlasting presence. God is always in the business of speaking to His children, but how much we’re listening depends on us. Neurodivergent folks who listen to God arguably hear Him more clearly and engage in the spiritual realm more deeply because their brains don’t filter the micro details in their surroundings. They notice wonders others overlook. They notice and engage with God‘s creation with a different type of closeness and intimacy with it.
God‘s Word is always true and never fails. When the Lord says in Genesis 2:1 (NIV) “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”; I believe it. Additionally, you can also find in Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. These passages and many others point to how God values community and togetherness between His people. Certainly no one will be excluded from that. Even in countries where Christianity is banned and access to the Bible is limited or nonexistent, people still dream of Jesus and find salvation. It makes sense that people with traditional communication difficulty would also be given an opportunity for human connection. Some neurodivergent individuals describe a gathering place named “the hill” where thoughts are easily expressed and understood. I don’t doubt in my mind God allows certain non speaking people to meet on a hill and have communion in sacred space to bond with people despite their hardships. The private meeting place, though I have never been, serves as an intimate fellowship and peace. In the same way the prophets Daniel was commanded to “Seal up the words until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4 NIV), people whom God blesses special insight to are not always meant to share it. God gives “the least of these” in modern society abundant wisdom. The Kingdom of God is an upside down Kingdom that serves and honors the rejects demonstrating God’s true love and power. In 1 Corinthians 1:27 (NIV), the apostle Paul writes “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” God’s Spirit is breathed in every human being, no one left out. Our fast paced world turns relationships into transactions and overlooks those who struggle. The more you dismiss people, the less you see God. The Lord’s beloved should be our beloved.