A friend with Asperger’s recently sat down with me to reflect his daily challenges. When he kept describing Asperger as a a “problem”, I finally explained a few things which left him happily speechless…
Asperger is not a problem. Rather, it’s one of God’s answer to many problems in the world. The unifying feature of the Asperger gift is that it comes with no “Off-switch”.
Most people have an Off-switch. If they are acting out of ordinary or dangerous, we might be able to say something and then the person will almost certainly stop. Asperger, however, doesn’t work that way. In a sense, a person with Asperger’s has an Off-switch, but the switch can only be operated by God.
Satan, of course, doesn’t like this. Neither do tyrants. This tends to attract unusual hatred—from some people, not all. Even the name “Israel” means “wrestles with God”. The Israeli nation, for millennia, has functioned—corporately—like one, large, national case of Asperger: Only God can tame them—Satan doesn’t stand a chance. Perhaps increasing cases of Asperger’s is related to the approaching return of Christ—more and more people who will only yield to the Worthy Lamb… maybe.
While there are many surface Aspects we may use to describe Asperger, that one trait—God-controlled Off-switch—brings it all together. Of course, that is assuming that the person with Asperger’s has bent the knee to the will of Jesus Christ.
My friend accepted the idea the moment I suggested it. He didn’t need me to explain the concept; the concept explained his daily life.
Let’s not overlook free will. There is no such thing as a personal decision that we aren’t personally responsible for. While only God controls the Off-switch for some of us, all of us are in full control of the On-switch.
If only God can access one’s Off-switch, that person may probably feel misunderstood. Those who understand us don’t need explanation. As for those who don’t understand us, well, all the explaining in the world won’t help. That’s true of anyone. So, whether you have Asperger or not, as Sarah Palin said about reasons,
“Your friends don’t need them and your enemies won’t believe you anyway.”