In 2 Corinthians Paul speaks about how he begged God to take away his physical pain and suffering, but then how God said to him, “My grace is sufficient. I am strongest when you are weak”.
For me and my family, this year has been so full of struggles, both physically and spiritually. I’ll be honest and say that there are those moments I ask, “why?”. But I know that while God has allowed some suffering to occur in our lives, He has been there, beside us the whole time. I know that when I am at my very lowest and weakest, it IS His strength that somehow gets me through.
I hesitated to post this, since I am prideful about only a couple things in my life…my children being one of those things. As their mother, I consider them both to be highly intelligent, compassionate, loving and probably as perfect as two humans can be. Two wonderful gifts given to me and Dave to raise, instruct and protect until they are old enough to move on. Protect…..
It’s with a heavy heart that Dave and I took Joey to be evaluated for developmental delays, just this past month. Both of us knowing what the diagnosis would probably be, but hoping we were wrong. Not wanting to label our precious child, like society insists on doing these days. But if not one label, then it would be another…maybe a worse label. “problem child”, “under achiever”, etc…
So we went and met with a highly recommended pediatrician. She observed our little one, and just like we had dreaded, he had a rotten morning at home. Making things even worse at the office appointment. Figures! But it was a good evaluation. A morning where she saw him at his worst. Sometimes that’s better for a doctor to see.
We got the diagnosis we feared….Autism. The words still ring in my ears! While it was not a surprise, I felt like someone had grabbed my heart with two hands and ripped it out of my chest. Dave and I felt a deep sense of grieving all weekend. That was then accompanied by tears, then anger, then fatigue. Our precious child....why, him?
But once again, God has given us a mission. For some reason He thinks enough of our parenting skills to bless us with a child who needs a little extra. Once again it is through our sincerest weakness that we are finding strength in Him.
Joey will be fine. He is considered to be "high-functioning", so school will be enhanced with other special therapies to bring him up to where he needs to be developmentally, socially and in language. It will be OK. He is testing well in intelligence thank God. There is no mental deficiency present. We are blessed by that.
Like Paul said….”When I am weak, I am strong”. I get it, now.
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Dear Dave and Lisa,
John forwarded your blog to me; I did not see it until now because my old e-mail address was blocked by my former employer. Please use larrysky@aol.com until further notice, ok? My cell phone number is still good and please do not hesitate to call me anytime.
More importantly, I am sorry to hear of Joey's diagnosis because it is an additional burden and you have had at least a double portion of difficult problems. I know you will cope with this and Joey will be as wonderful and beautiful a child as you know him to be.
I also know that God will give you the strength to handle this and that He purifies and strengthens his loved ones by giving us problems to surmount. I know that Jesus loves you both very much and that He gives “good gifts” to those who are his children. I pray that you will be comforted in this struggle and will remain strong.
Our love too,
Aunt Jacquie and Uncle Larry
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