“I understood my dad’s anxiety about me exploring Christianity; he feared that it would lead me to abandon our family’s deep-seated respect for and openness toward others,” says author and disability activist Nadia Mossburg.
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“You’re not joining the God Squad, are you?” asked my dad, with gentle sarcasm, as I began my journey into Christianity at age 18.
In our close-knit family, two topics remained off-limits: my disability’s emotional toll, and faith. As Middle Eastern immigrants of different spiritual beliefs, my parents never forced a specific religion on my siblings and me. Instead, they built a home rooted in hospitality, regularly inviting in friends of varied backgrounds.
Accepting others came naturally to my parents, and I’d like to believe I played a role in that. I entered the world three months early, and it took nearly two years of their advocating before receiving my cerebral palsy diagnosis. With unwavering resolve, they faced the news that I’d navigate the world using a wheelchair…