Tag Archives: special needs mom

Get yourself some “but” 

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But we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever…. Hebrews 6:19-20a

The most comforting thought I can conjure, is that God’s plan for my life is to give me hope and a future. Lots of people quote Jeremiah 29:11 because of it’s promise of prosperity or protection. I must say that as a mom whose baby’s future is so uncertain, hope is that one thing I can’t do without. there are days of setbacks and challenges when I can’t imagine one good reason to get out of bed! Hebrew 6:19-20 says “But We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.” I emphasize the word “but” there because it is actually one of my favorite words in the Bible. (super weird, let me explain)
I love how the authors of the Bible used that little conjunction over and over again: they spell out a dire situation, a negative prognosis, a disaster waiting to happen, and then they write my favorite three letters “but”. Everyone from David, to Queen Esther, to the new testament apostles had their “but” moments. I like to think of having Hope as always having a “but”! Praise the Lord, I can recite for you endless stories of how things looked bad, but God. Let me make clear that this applies to every area of our life. Having a special baby impacts everything. The ripple effect of a diagnosis rocks it all. Some of my “buts” include: 

  • My marriage was almost over, but God redeemed it. 
  • Our financial crisis was about to drown us, but God made a way for us to overcome. 
  • My child was given a life sentence of despair, but God substituted it for a life filled with joy.

Because all things work together for the good of those who love God, our marriage crisis actually made us so much stronger. The financial crisis pushed us to Biblical financial wisdom that changed our future. The genetic disorder that should have stolen my child actually gave me one that was more than wonderful. 
There is always hope in Jesus, because we are guaranteed that every situation has a “but”! There is an anchor for my soul, which makes it firm and secure. Jesus is my high priest forever, which means He is my perpetual “way where there is no way”, He is always the answer to every unknown. He covers me, provides for me, intercedes for me in advance, before I am ever even aware of a need. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Lean In: Whatever you are facing today, try writing it down or saying it outloud not with a period at the end of the sentence, rather conclude with these three letters and a few leading, promising, hopeful dots: but…..

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The Striking Similarity between Special Needs moms and a Queen

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Life as a special needs mom is about as far away from Royalty as you can get! Remarkably, however, I have found great wisdom within Esther’s pages.  How on earth could I identify with a queen?  Well, first of all, Esther wasn’t born a queen.  She started out as a regular girl with a less than glamorous, even less than average, life.  Then, she kept running into extremely unlikely circumstances.  Every step of her journey was completely atypical for someone like her.  (sounds more familiar now, right?) Yet God designed each of those steps specifically for a great purpose she could have never fathomed. Continue reading →

Courage to Keep Up the Daily Grind

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Each and every post I write has the same foundation: Redefining the word Special.  Seeing that “Special” really is special has changed my life, and has helped me see many other things with a completely new perspective as well.  Today I’m talking about redefining, or at least expanding our definition of  COURAGE.

“Be strong and courageous” – How many times have I heard sermons or teachings on these four words from the Bible?  We recently spent an entire month teaching this theme to our Elementary kids sunday school class.  This is one of the overarching messages in the Old Testament for the people of God.  Joshua received this emphatic commission before embarking on his epic adventures.  King Hezekiah used it in his speech delivered to the people of Jerusalem on the eve of invasion by the Assyrians. But only recently did I discover this instance:

“Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Dont be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God is with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.” 1 Chronicles 28:20

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Who’s in Charge?

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“Jesus take the wheel” by Carrie Underwood is playing on an endless loop in my head as I contemplate this post (and now it’s stuck in your head too. You’re welcome).  Although it’s a sappy country song, I adore her voice, and I love that chorus. What better response to out-of-control situations in our life? Whenever I feel like I’m in a tailspin, whirlwind or just plain mess, I probably can look down and realize that I’ve totally lost control.  Spending a few days this week at a large gathering of special needs families, I was reminded very clearly about the importance of who is in charge. Continue reading →

You might be Underrated 

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Recently while perusing my Facebook stream, I gave my usual overly dramatic eye roll to some quiz about how you rate yourself.  Pa-LEASE! Who has time for those stupid quizzes? Then, of course, I quickly gave myself a mental rating without having to suffer through the quiz. (You now can give ME an overly dramatic eye roll).  Disclaimer – I do not often lack self-confidence – my initial rating was pretty high.  My initial response to any challenge is usually positive and self-assured (you know, glass half full!). But then later that day, alone with my thoughts, I became aware of how poorly I was rating myself on a variety of fronts, throughout the day.  You see when I examine the motives of my heart, and weigh all that I know to do versus all that I do, I can be very negative on how I “rate”. Continue reading →