To those who see, know, or love a special needs family- A friend of mine messaged me recently about the extreme behaviors her child with an intellectual disability was displaying. Something, I’m familiar with. But she followed it up with saying, “My family thinks I don’t discipline him enough. They don’t get it.”
When I was told my 4-month old needed open-heart surgery, I wanted the God of miracles. Instead, I found a God who most often does His work through the hands of ordinary people called to the extraordinary.
“But look at what you are doing right now.” That was a whisper I felt in my soul recently. I was in the middle stressing out about not doing enough. Specifically, not doing enough for one of my children. And then, I felt those words. Not audibly. An internal knowing.
A friend and I lived out worst case scenarios. When the doctor says there is a 90% chance it could be this, but a 10% chance it could be this other darker thing. Our stories often fell in that dreaded 10%.
The healing work of God is slow. The healing work of God can seem fast when we look at our bibles. Jesus makes people well with a touch, a word. And we wonder, why doesn’t it work this way for us?
Don’t try to fix him. Fix the systems that inhibit him from belonging. Today is World Down Syndrome Day. The theme this year is #InclusionMeans.
