Answered Prayer

A short post my husband wrote about coming to terms with autism.....

I had my suspicions that Elijah was delayed. That was about one year and four months ago. He wasn’t much more than one and a half years old. But behaving nothing like Julia at that age. I had my reasons for avoiding these suspicions. But when little things showed up at times when I was not expecting them, it’s hard to ignore them. It’s hard to face them. It’s hard to be the parent – the father, the discipliner, the consistent guardian and teacher, - that I thought I would be.

I had my fears that I would have a child with disabilities. That was about twenty years ago. I was not even a teenager. I would pray that God would not let me have a “special needs” child. I prayed that God would make all my kids “normal”. I feared “imperfection”.

I put these words in apostrophes because they are not what I use anymore when talking with God. They are not useful anymore. I do not pray for my “special needs” child; for God to give me a “normal” son; for the “perfect” child.

God has given me what I have. He did not give me a “Special Needs” child. Instead, He has given me a

Special Place

in my heart just for Elijah. He did not give me a “Normal” child. Instead, He has given me the Enormous love of a son who sees me like no one else has or will. However, He has given me the “Perfect” child. Perfect in the sense of God’s Perfect will: I am walking up the path of parenthood and I’m learning about God’s love and I’m finding it’s what God’s wanted all along.