Everyday Hope for Special NeedsSample

## Hope for a Journey of Faith A Declaration I've never met a Christian parent who doesn't ask some version of the question, "Will my child grow up to love and serve God?" It's an honest question. In all our child-rearing and church-bringing, we know that at some point, our children must choose faith for themselves. When that day comes, and we see the fruit of their faith journey, we exhale and rejoice! We trained them up, and God did the rest (Proverbs 22:6). As a parent of a special needs child, this question can get complicated. Rather than just asking, " Will my child love and serve God?" the inquiry goes further to " Can my child love and serve God?" It's a small but heavy distinction that many parents wrestle with. What fruit can be measured from a non-verbal or severely disabled child? How can we possibly know what they think about God, much less if they want to serve Him? Will I ever experience the exhale and rejoicing that others enjoy when their children say "yes" to Jesus? Part of the problem is that our human evaluation of faith in others is always based on what we can see or hear. After all, we don't see the heart. But cue the exhale, dear parent, because God does. 1 Samuel 16:7 reassures us, "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." For the first year-and-a-half of Connor's life, he was just like any other kid. Curious, expressive, playful, affectionate. But over time, certain behaviors took shape that couldn't be ignored. Although he communicated verbally, Connor's language was limited and not growing as it should be. He started playing more and more by himself, eventually withdrawing altogether. Even as one might live in denial, the signs were becoming clear. Connor had autism. Eventually, his language stopped altogether, and Connor became virtually non-verbal. The silence was deafening – any parent's nightmare. You miss your child's voice, their questions, and ideas shared. You wonder what they might be thinking. What thoughts are swirling around in that brain of theirs, hushed and unshared? You begin to wonder – Can you hear me? Do you understand me? Does the encouragement I speak over you make any difference? Can you grasp the truth of scripture as we pray, go to church, and declare God's Word? Does it even matter? Questions lingered without answers for years. Four years, to be exact. And then God answered most unexpectedly. After four long years, Connor broke his silence with a declaration. A declaration of eighty-eight words he had heard hundreds of times. We had no idea he was paying attention, much less soaking in the truth of God. In his bed one night, he sat up and boldly declared, "This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess: My mind is alert; my heart is receptive. I will never be the same. I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living seed of the Word of God. I will never be the same. Never, never, never. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name. Amen." In that moment, I realized it all mattered. Even when Connor was silent, God never stopped speaking. His Word never stopped working. If you're wondering if the countless prayers, sometimes exhausting trips to church, and declarations of scripture are worth it, God is answering you with a resounding "YES!" It all matters because He makes it. Isaiah 55:11 declares, "So shall my word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." God sent His Word for you and me and each of our children. And He sent it with a purpose that will not, and cannot , fail. Keep doing the work – declaring life and truth over your child. God will do His part and will watch over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). Declare this: There is HOPE for a journey of faith. I believe that my child will love and serve God, and I choose to trust Him to accomplish all He pleases through His Word.