Treasure Minds of all Kinds

As we’ve talked about our theme of “Treasure” this year, I have emphasized that this includes valuing all people as those made in the image of God. During the month of April, we are specifically focusing on treasuring people who think differently than we do. This is often called neurodiversity.

We quickly understand that there is great physical diversity in people, as we can see their different heights and skin tones, and hear the difference in their voices. We also know that people have different personality traits, and different strengths and weaknesses. Some are great at running while others are amazing at math. Neurodiversity is different in that unique ways of thinking are not always so obvious to others.

Valuing people whose brains are diverse means, first of all, understanding that not everyone thinks the way we do. We want to go a step further than understanding, though. We want to encourage our kids to value and appreciate those who think differently.

Many people who are now celebrated for their success had minds that worked differently from others. Albert Einstein is a famous example. He was believed to have Asperger’s syndrome, but also won the Nobel Prize for physics. Bill Gates, of Microsoft fame, was diagnosed with both dyslexia and ADHD. People whose minds work differently provide discoveries and understandings that many typical people cannot achieve.

We can help our students by encouraging friendships with those who are different than we are. We also need to be careful with our words when speaking to and about others; we should speak in ways that value difference rather than praise being the same. We desire to celebrate the strengths of each person. Jesus set us an example of valuing people who were often outcasts in the society of his day, including Samaritans, lepers, and tax collectors. He also calls for us to love our neighbors, which includes people who differ from us in any number of ways.