Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7
Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? - John 11:40
It's very rare that I don't meet a mother who doesn't worry, especially about her children. Most mother's are quick to put their children in a protective bubble to keep them from harm. What we, as mom's, need to remember is that God is in control of our lives. We just need to lift them up in prayer for God's Will to be done.
In Week 11's devotion of Miracles by Karen Kingsbury, we are introduced to a mom who constantly worries about everything with her children to the point it keeps her up at night. She's overprotective and tries to keep her kids safe at all costs. We see that no matter how overprotective a mom can be, it can not always keep the kids out of harms way. We also witness how this mom experiences true faith in God by praying over her child to keep him safe.
It is so easy for any mother to worry. We want to keep our children safe and we want to be the best mom we can possibly be. Especially when you are a mom of a child with autism. The constant worrying about different therapies, our child's future, a public meltdown can really take a toll on our health and add some serious stress in our lives.
Stress...it is the one thing in our lives that can completely take over our well being and add more difficulty to a situation that is already overbearing. Stress...it can take a current struggle and make it seem so much worse than it truly is. Stress...can cause so many physical problems that can keep you from living a healthier you. Stress and worry will cause any mother to be a little less patient, a lot more tired and a lot more distant from her child.
How do we deal with stress? How do we keep away the worry? Especially when it comes to our children with special needs?
We pray. We give our children to God and cover them in prayer daily. When that worry starts to creep up on you, stop and pray to God about your child. Ask Him to show you if this is an area you need to move forward from or one that you need to take your child into. God needs us to have faith in Him and trust Him, especially when it comes to our kids. God needs us to be at our fullest with our kids. He doesn't want us to be slowly taken down by stress and worry. He wants us to give our kids...His kids, the best of us. The only way we can do that is to truly trust in Him. Let go of our fears and anxiety and trust that God is in control. Love our children with all of our hearts and minds and trust that God will move mountains for our children.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Week 10 Buckle Up: Scripture Reading Genesis 27 (Miracles by Karen Kingsbury)
"Do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged." -Colossians 3:21
In Week 10, Karen Kingsbury tells the story of a mother who tries to encourage her to son to break free from a friendship she believes isn't healthy for him. This friendship ends up being the one that saves her son's life. It's important to note that when his father was alive he would tell the mother that he feels that their son's friend is a positive person in his life. Instead of praying over their friendship and letting God's Will take over, she tried to force her feelings on their friendship on their son which almost ended up costing him his life. The mistake this mom made was trying to take matters into her own hands instead of waiting on God for His directions on which path to take.
As parents, it's very hard for us let go of what we think our children need and allow God to do what He needs in their lives. Add in special needs, and we are desperately searching for the way to help our children. Searching so much it wears us down to total chaos, stress, worry and desperation. We can't understand why it's not working. Why is my child still sick? Why aren't these treatments helping like I thought it would? Why can't my child make a friend? These words will be in our heads all day long and keep breaking us down until we can no longer function and hit a stage of depression. That's not what God wants and it's definitely not what our children need.
God wants us and needs us to be the parents he created us to be. What if the answer to what you are searching for is you? What if the one thing that your child needs is a parent who is not anxious, not stressed, and not worried? What if the one thing your child needs is a parent whose total faith through all of this is in God and what He will do to help?
God wants us to bring our needs to Him. He wants us to ask Him for help and most importantly, wait for His help. You see, the mom in Karen Kingsbury's devotion for Week 10 didn't wait for help. In our scripture reading for this week (Genesis 27) Rebekah didn't wait for God to move in their lives. She took matter into her own hands. The New Living Translation of the Life Application Bible says this in regards to Genesis 27:5-10:
When Rebekah learned that Isaac was preparing to bless Esau, she quickly devised a plan to trick him into blessing Jacob instead Although God had already told her that Jacob would become the family leader, Rebekah took matters into her own hands. She resorted to doing something wrong to try to bring about what God had already said would happen. For Rebekah, the end justified the means. No matter how good we think our goals are, we should not attempt to achieve them by doing what is wrong. Would God approve of the methods you are using to accomplish your goals?
As I've mentioned before in previous posts, I'm not saying to stop researching, stop all therapies and schooling. This is very important for us to do. All I'm saying is give it to God. Pray about it. Keep researching however, when you reach that point of confusion, chaos, worry and stress, wait for God. Wait for Him to move in your life and show you which path your child needs to be on. It's hard for us to wait. Believe me I get it. But I can tell you after 8 years of different paths I've taken my son on because I thought it was right thing to do, if I would have waited for God to direct my paths we would have had a much easier road. I have recently started looking and waiting for the path that God wants us to take. It's so much easier, more peaceful and a lot more rewarding.
In Week 10, Karen Kingsbury tells the story of a mother who tries to encourage her to son to break free from a friendship she believes isn't healthy for him. This friendship ends up being the one that saves her son's life. It's important to note that when his father was alive he would tell the mother that he feels that their son's friend is a positive person in his life. Instead of praying over their friendship and letting God's Will take over, she tried to force her feelings on their friendship on their son which almost ended up costing him his life. The mistake this mom made was trying to take matters into her own hands instead of waiting on God for His directions on which path to take.
As parents, it's very hard for us let go of what we think our children need and allow God to do what He needs in their lives. Add in special needs, and we are desperately searching for the way to help our children. Searching so much it wears us down to total chaos, stress, worry and desperation. We can't understand why it's not working. Why is my child still sick? Why aren't these treatments helping like I thought it would? Why can't my child make a friend? These words will be in our heads all day long and keep breaking us down until we can no longer function and hit a stage of depression. That's not what God wants and it's definitely not what our children need.
God wants us and needs us to be the parents he created us to be. What if the answer to what you are searching for is you? What if the one thing that your child needs is a parent who is not anxious, not stressed, and not worried? What if the one thing your child needs is a parent whose total faith through all of this is in God and what He will do to help?
God wants us to bring our needs to Him. He wants us to ask Him for help and most importantly, wait for His help. You see, the mom in Karen Kingsbury's devotion for Week 10 didn't wait for help. In our scripture reading for this week (Genesis 27) Rebekah didn't wait for God to move in their lives. She took matter into her own hands. The New Living Translation of the Life Application Bible says this in regards to Genesis 27:5-10:
When Rebekah learned that Isaac was preparing to bless Esau, she quickly devised a plan to trick him into blessing Jacob instead Although God had already told her that Jacob would become the family leader, Rebekah took matters into her own hands. She resorted to doing something wrong to try to bring about what God had already said would happen. For Rebekah, the end justified the means. No matter how good we think our goals are, we should not attempt to achieve them by doing what is wrong. Would God approve of the methods you are using to accomplish your goals?
As I've mentioned before in previous posts, I'm not saying to stop researching, stop all therapies and schooling. This is very important for us to do. All I'm saying is give it to God. Pray about it. Keep researching however, when you reach that point of confusion, chaos, worry and stress, wait for God. Wait for Him to move in your life and show you which path your child needs to be on. It's hard for us to wait. Believe me I get it. But I can tell you after 8 years of different paths I've taken my son on because I thought it was right thing to do, if I would have waited for God to direct my paths we would have had a much easier road. I have recently started looking and waiting for the path that God wants us to take. It's so much easier, more peaceful and a lot more rewarding.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Week 9: The Voice In The Storm Scripture Reading Psalm 107 (Miracles by Karen Kingsbury)
In Week 9's devotion of Miracles by Karen Kingsbury, we learn of a young man who becomes lost in the snow. He hears someone reaching out to help him and helps him safely find his way home.
The scripture reading Karen Kingsbury has with this devotion is Psalm 107. Psalm 107 teaches us the importance of praising God for all He has done for us. We also need to share with others the way He has moved in our lives.
Bad things happen all of the time. Storms come and storms go. We will all have trials in life. What's important for us to remember is that no matter how difficult or how minor our storm may seem, God is here to help us. He will be the voice we are looking for when we are not sure which way to go. We just have to go to Him.
We also need to remember that when God does things for you, it's important that we thank Him and also show people what He's done for us. This way, they see how He can help them as well.
What has God done for you? Has your child with autism made huge strides because of a path God has taken you down? Is your family stronger than ever while facing autism because God has given you the strength to carry on? Maybe your faith is deeper than it has ever been because God has given you peace.
Autism is a huge storm. It's a strong storm. At times it can be very overwhelming and blinding. You need God. You need His help through this storm. And as He takes your hand and guides you down the right paths, be sure to praise Him and share with others how He has blessed your life.
Great trials in life should bring out a lot of praise for God.
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