One of the happiest days of my life came a couple of years ago after I got back home from our Student Winter Camp. It was my son’s birthday, and we were having a party for him. I made sure all of the students got picked up, and then I headed over to my parents’ house, where the party was going to be. Once I got there, we got ready to have food, and I asked my son if he wanted to pray. Right away, he bowed his head, closed his eyes, and began praying, “Dear Heavenly Father.” I instantly had tears well up in my eyes as I saw my son pray to our good Heavenly Father. For those of you who do not know, my son has autism. He has a hard time learning things and understanding social cues, and I often wonder how much of what is taught in Kids Church or what I teach him about God, he actually grasps. It can be so hard for a parent of a child with special needs to know if the Lord is moving in their life. We can sometimes get discouraged for many different reasons, and I know I have from time to time, whether it is struggling with behavior, sleeping, eating, or any number of things. My goal for this letter to you (the parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, or just friend of someone who has a child with special needs) is to encourage you with what the truth of Scripture says about our amazing children.
We get an amazing truth about how God has created every single one of us in Psalm 149:13-14, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are you works; my soul knows it very well.” What I love about these verses, as they relate to my beautiful boy, is that the author does not put a stipulation on who is “fearfully and wonderfully made.” It is not just reserved for people who do not have special needs. God is the One who creates everyone. He is an intentional and caring God. These verses in Psalm 149 show us how God is over the formation of every child. Understanding that my child with special needs is formed by God just as much as any other child in the world was such an important reality for me to grasp and one that I hope you believe as well. Raising a kid with special needs is hard, attacks from the enemy can come from all over the place, and the lies can begin to swirl around you that God does not love your child, God is not going to move in their life, and that they are a mistake. However, Scripture gives us the truth we need, that every child, whether special needs or not, is intricately and graciously formed by God.
I want to leave you with this encouragement: when life begins to get tough, when you and your precious little one are having a hard day, and when you are in the midst of a struggle with them that you feel like will never end, look to our God. Look to Him and see His character. He is ever present, ever close, and always in control of your situation. Ask yourself these questions from Psalm 77:8-9, “Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” The resounding answer to all these questions is no. No, He has not ceased His steadfast love. No, His promises are not at an end. No, He has not forgotten to be gracious. No, He has not shut up His compassion. I know the road may seem dark sometimes, and you can feel alone while dealing with the struggles of raising a child with special needs, but we have a good God. He is able to provide us with everything we need to love our precious children and to teach them the love of our Savior.