Finding The Cure

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

Many parents of children with autism expend all their energy and their family’s limited resources chasing the latest and greatest “cure” for autism.  Many people in their search for “cures” miss the blessings along the way.  I am not suggesting that any mother in her right mind would not approach the throne of grace knowing what God can provide on her child’s behalf.  What I am suggesting is that many blessings are missed along the road to “correct” what some perceive as God’s mistake.  God’s blessings and lessons along the spectrum are God’s cures for everything that ails us.  Being still in the presence of a Holy Lord and asking him to reveal to us what He wants us to learn about His character through life’s hardships will bring more healing than any self-proclaimed cure this world has to offer.

Lord, help me to not lose sight of You and your blessings as we travel this spectrum called autism.  Help me to be still in your presence when I am feeling overwhelmed knowing that your healing is the greatest cure for what ails me.  I give my son to You this day, Lord, because he is Yours first, not mine.  I pray you show me those things hidden in secret places that only You know, Lord.  I know you have a plan for each of us, and I am choosing to be still today resting in the knowledge that there is no one, no physician, no therapist greater than you, Lord.  To You be the glory forever and ever.

A New Diagnosis

“So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.”  (Genesis 32:24)

A new autism diagnosis can leave a family reeling, not knowing which way to turn.  Some may wrestle with their faith wondering how a God who loves his children could allow any child to struggle.  Jacob wrestled with God, and he walked away with a limp as a constant reminder.  The limp was not God’s punishment to Jacob for wrestling with him but part of God’s blessing.  God allowed Jacob to overcome Him, but he left Jacob with a reminder of their encounter.  God blessed Jacob stating: “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome” (28).

I was at dinner with a fellow autism mom the other night, and she expressed to me that she is fearful of being angry at God.  I told this mom that she needed to confess her anger to God in prayer because God already knows her heart.  I told this mom that I, too, wrestled with God over my own child’s diagnosis and that I ultimately came full circle back to a stronger faith in the One who knew my pain before I even came to Him. 

Lord, give your children the confidence in your love to honestly bring their petitions to you in the name of your son, Jesus.  I pray your grace and sustaining love over any family feeling lost in the sea of a new diagnosis that they may come to a renewed strength in you by learning more of your character coming face to face with a God who has compassion on them.  

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  (James 1:17)

All children are a gift, whether typical children or special kiddos.  Though my life may be ever changing with the peaks and valleys of raising my children, God never changes.  As I am continually challenged with the mountains my family may face daily, I take refuge in the knowledge that God is not only good and perfect, but he is a loving Father.  It is often said that children need consistency.  Isn’t it a comfort knowing that God’s goodness and his love for us will always be consistent no matter how deep the valley may seem?  Through the challenges of raising such a precious child, I have confidence in the fact that God is a constant on whom I can always rely to guide me along the way.

Father, thank you for the perfect gift of my son and for the knowledge that you are going to be with us every step along the spectrum called autism.  The love I have for my son is the perfect reminder of the love You have for me and just how unfathomable the depth of that love must be.