Ask 100 special-needs parents what their #1 stress is and it’s likely 99 of them will answer the unknown future for their kids. How do we learn to laugh at the time to come, like the Proverbs 31 woman?
What happens when those with special needs age out of the education system? That’s the question Dateline set out to answer on their show this week. They spent three years following two families with young adult sons on the autism spectrum.
When I asked on my Facebook page if anyone had seen it, one friend said she didn’t think she could watch. I saw autism parents on Twitter saying the same thing. Why? Because we’re scared. We don’t know what’s going to happen with our kids when they graduate from high school, and we don’t want to even think about it until we have to.
How do we look to the future without fear? Like the woman described in Proverbs 31, can we laugh at the time to come?
The Bible tells us the most powerful weapon against fear. It’s faith in God’s love.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:19a).
When we remember how much He loves us, how much He loves our children, it casts out fear.
- “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
- “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
- “For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12). - “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
The Proverbs 31 woman doesn’t laugh at the time to come because she has it all figured out. She laughs because she has confidence in the One who does.
John Calvin wrote, “When the light of Divine Providence has illuminated the believer’s soul, he is relieved and set free, not only from the extreme fear and anxiety, which formerly oppressed him, but from all care.”
God knows what strength you will need. He knows the battles you will face. He knows the heartbreak you may feel.
Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” Seek Him today. Listen for His answer. Experience His deliverance. And fear not.
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