Everyday Hope for Special NeedsSample

Hope for The Future

Two Vases

Two vases sit in our home at each side of our front door. One of the vases fell, and the top got broken. Instead of throwing it away, we carefully put it back together. It may be a little more fragile now, but it's just as beautiful as the other vase. The imperfection is only obvious when you inspect it closely because, though the vase cracked, it looks and functions exactly as designed.

These vases are a daily reminder that just because something is broken doesn't mean it needs to be thrown away. One vase reminds us of a "typical" child, while the other reminds us of a child with special needs. One has a flaw, and the other seems normal, but they are both of equal value.

MOST PEOPLE WOULD LOOK AT A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AS ONE OF VERY LITTLE WORTH, BUT GOD LOOKS AT A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AS SOMEONE READY TO BE USED.

Scripture beautifully illustrates this in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Distressed furniture, which has been all the rage in recent years, is intentionally made with imperfections. It doesn't take a close examination to see the wood and paint have flaws. But it's those flaws that make it so valuable.

God has never created anything that wasn't perfect. Anything that has ever come out of God's hands was created in His image for a specific purpose.

We humans are the ones who see the imperfections. That's why God tells us in Isaiah 55, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." That's why when people come up to special needs parents and say things like, "I'm believing for your son to be made whole," I question, what if he is already whole? What if this was who God created my son to be? Perhaps I don't want him to be "typical." Maybe even with all of the struggles, he's brought more meaning and depth to our lives than if we had a typical child. What would you rather experience? A thousand Denny's? Or one hole-in-the-wall restaurant with an original menu. I'll take the original.

The question I've asked myself many times is, DO I WANT CONNOR TO BE FIXED OR BE USED FOR GOD'S GLORY?

Of course, if my son is healed of autism, that would be for God's glory, and I believe for the miraculous most every day. But if Connor never had autism, I don't know if he would be Connor. That is who he is and who God created him to be. It might have been easier for our family if he didn't have special needs, but his life has shaped us into who we are. And I love who we are, scars and all. Bruised and sometimes battered, but still standing. Not victims, but victors!

Sometimes we are looking for solutions to temporal problems while God is busy establishing an eternal kingdom. The Bible says in James 4:14, "You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is but a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Life on earth is short, and God has minimal time to use us to build His kingdom. We all need relief from difficulties, but I try to remember that there are bigger things at hand and that our children were created for a much bigger purpose than their diagnosis.

Our children may not have intellectual or physical gifts, but God has given them spiritual gifts. He shines His glory on their gifts and surprises us with profound moments.

I will never forget one night when I was sitting with my son at a diner. Connor is in the middle of the spectrum and has difficulty gathering his thoughts to carry on a conversation. Attempting to get him to interact, I asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. Thinking he would give me a standard answer like any child might (a fireman, a singer, a doctor), I was surprised when suddenly he turned my way and said without hesitation, "Grateful." It was one of the most profound answers that I have ever heard. You wouldn't get that answer from an adult, much less a child. I knew we were in the presence of God, and He was using Connor's spiritual gift to speak through him.

Never underestimate what God can do through a broken vessel. Brokenness has a perfume that pride can never produce.

You see, a vase cannot have a lid. To fulfill its purpose, it must have a hole to be poured out. Let me encourage you to leave the crack in your life alone if God allowed it. Maybe it was meant to be there to glorify God through it. Don't put a lid on what was meant to be poured out for His purpose.

Declare this: There is HOPE for the future. I choose to trust God with the broken things in my life and believe He will be glorified as our lives are poured out for His purpose.