"Whether you know it or not, people are watching you." Those words in a sermon from my pastor have resonated with me for years. We parents raising children with special needs are sadly accustomed to uncomfortable stares or looks of disdain directed at our cherished children. It may be painful to endure the gawking of others, but it also gives us a unique platform to reach others. In … [Read more...]
Who Else Wants Their Joy Back?
What does joy mean to you? And how do you know if you've got it? These are questions a fresh wave of challenges with my 10-year-old have pressed on my mind. As I wrestle to have more joy in the struggles---and to recognize it when it's there---I'm finding it's different than I used to think. For me, joy is relief. It's cool grace over a searing heart. It's letting go of heavy burdens. And it's … [Read more...]
The God Who Goes Before You
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8) I … [Read more...]
Laying Down My Isaacs on the First Day of School
The first day of school was today. I load up my two kids with book bags, lunches and enough school supplies to make a mule stagger. My daughter walks to the bus stop on on her own. (It's soooo not cool, you know, for mom to tag along to the bus stop.) I watch her, forehead to glass, from our upstairs window. She turns three times to look back with a strange smile on her face, a mix of … [Read more...]
But . . . Why?
- Written by Colleen Swindoll Thompson One of the first questions my children asked was, “Why?” It came at unwanted bedtimes, unexpected mealtimes, undesired moments of discipline, and unforgettable experiences of sacrifice and forgiveness. A wonderful innocence surrounds the question of “Why?” I don’t think we ever outgrow that basic question… at least, we don’t until we settle one of life’s … [Read more...]
Snooze Buttons, Train Wrecks and Finding Joy
It was pretty clear by the time I hit the snooze button for the fifth time. I didn’t want to get out of bed. Then words from Hebrews 12:2 I had read the day before came to mind: “For the joy set before him, he endured the cross.” I lay there, wondering, what is the joy set before me? What can give me such hope that I can endure mornings when I just don’t want to face another teen intervention, … [Read more...]