My inspiration for my blog God autism and me turned sixteen this month!
As I look back, I realize the progress we have made is miraculous. My tears are no longer out of frustration but from joy.
I’m not sure exactly when I was able to breathe without fearing a phone call from the school. Yet today, my youngest is increasingly independent and learning to solve problems on his own.
He began this school year taunted by bullies and almost removed from his favorite class because of them. Yet, he finished the year on the honor roll earning the opportunity to play in the marching band next year with his brother.
Somewhere among the midst of IEPs, after school tutoring and endless hours of homework, Lan and I both began to bloom.
We are no longer closed off from others but rather optimistic instead of dreading what lies around the next corner.
Lan’s symptoms haven’t disappeared. However, we now manage them instead of stifle them.
Here are sixteen things God has taught me via autism.
How to improvise
How to find hope in all circumstances.
I am not in control. God’s got this!
How to open my mind up for the improbable
How to open my faith up for the impossible
Love and encouragement produce more than strict regimens
It’s okay not to be okay
I don’t have to be perfect
Perfection doesn’t exist on this earth
What once worked won’t always work.
With God, I am stronger than I ever imagined
My child is tough, resilient, and aware of everything!
How to bend without breaking
Sometimes you just have to make your own way.
Angels are among us in the guise of teachers, counselors and others
God’s not done with us yet!
You see, the photos of the flowers featured here “should” have bloomed nearly two months ago. My lilies have always bloomed around Easter no matter what. Yet, here they stand blooming far later than usual, lovelier and stronger than ever before.
We can do the same.
Sometimes we give up our joy when we don’t meet expectations created by others. It is easy to close up and fail to discover the gifts God places within us. We can’t acknowledge our talents let alone nurture them if we always focus on the “negatives.”
I challenge you to “open up” to possibilities you may have never considered before. Explore alternatives you may have once dismissed. Dare to reach out to new people and see if God doesn’t reveal fresh solutions to old problems!
With every passing year, my lilies grow taller and stronger. The dormant bulbs weather the frozen ground. Their strong stalks withstand spring storms. Their colorful blooms don’t wilt under the sun.
And that is exactly what God wants for us.
Like lilies, we go through seasons of dormancy where it looks like nothing is happening. But under the warmth of the sun, there is always the potential to produce something beautiful. Unlike the lily, we make the choice either to bloom or withdraw from the Son.
I choose to trust God.
Lan chooses not to be defined by a diagnosis.
What about you?
Choose to Bloom.
B Is for Blessed! 