“God never gives you more than you can handle.” I see people type that around the Internet. I hear them say it to others. It’s plastered on t-shirts and notepads. As a special needs parent, I don’t believe it.
You see, I’ve faced a lot I can’t handle over the last eight years. On my own, I can’t handle Aspergers syndrome/high-functioning autism, whatever you want to call it. On my own I can’t handle job loss and three months of whooping cough for my sons and husband. On my own I can’t handle the sibling issues between a hyper-sensitive Aspie and a high-energy, rhythm-craving younger brother living together in a two-bedroom apartment.
I’ve been through the days I hope my son doesn’t unbuckle his seat belt and try to exit the car while we’re on the highway. I’ve been through a child yelling at me that he’ll call the police on me while I hope my neighbors don’t hear through the walls. I’ve been through an eight year-old younger brother telling me, “I can’t live like this.”
My child has hurt other children when he was in a setting he couldn’t handle. My child has fallen apart because of an assignment I give him. My child has banged his head in frustration as I watched helplessly.
I’ve cried on my bed. I’ve screamed into a pillow. I’ve sobbed in the shower. I don’t know what to do. I can’t do it.
And I’m right.
God tells us, “My strength is made perfect in your weakness.” Oh, how weak I am!
I can’t do it, but God can. God can give me strength for the next minute. God can give me an idea for helping my son calm down. God can give me words to encourage the younger child. God can give me friends who understand because they live their own challenges. God can remind me of the power of not yet.
Dear friend, when you are hanging on by your fingernails, remember. You can’t, but God can!
Jenny Herman wants to live in a world where dark chocolate dispensers reside on every corner. As a homeschooling special needs mom, she’s been featured in Autism Parenting Magazine, Wit and Wisdom from the Parents of Special Needs Kids: Mostly True Stories of Life on the Spectrum, and various blogs. If she survives the onslaught of testosterone in her home, she may take a moment to blog, read a book, try a new recipe, or loom knit a gift. You can find Jenny’s book The Power of One: Change Your Perspective, Change Your Life on Amazon.Discover her tips for special needs parenting, hands-on homeschooling, and pressing on at jennyherman.com.
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