On my parenting journey, one of the best and most comforting mantras I have started to tell myself daily is this: God understands Autism. This mantra gave me insight into God and autism in four important ways.
First, God is the best support your child could ever have. He not only understands Autism, but He deeply loves and intimately knows your child’s heart. He knows how your child’s brain works. He knows the challenges that have come their way. And God is the perfect guide for you as a parent, helping you prepare your child for this world.
God is The Best Place to Seek Guidance
Second, since God understands Autism, He is the best place for you to seek guidance. As we pray and seek the Lord’s input, we will be led to the therapies and activities that will be best for our children. Some will be unconventional, but that is OK. If God is leading you to it, do it. You may not understand everything, but He sure does. And knowing that will give you greater confidence as you advocate for your child.
Third, since God understands Autism I am given great comfort. When things aren’t going as I expected, this knowledge gives me the assurance that things are still ok. It’s ok because He understands and has a plan. He loves my child more than I can imagine. In fact, He loved my child first. And there is something beautiful about forming a partnership with one who gets it as well as God does.
God Understands Your Child’s Mind and Heart
And finally, since God understands Autism, He understands all the minute details that give you trouble. For example, Autism comes with almost obsessive interests. I have used those interests to entice my child to try new things. But once he is deep into a project, he is like a dog with a bone.
He is not letting go. And instead of fighting with my child about it being Sunday and that he should not go to the store for that one tiny part that is vital to completing his project, I remind him of our values. And I let him choose for himself if he will wait, or go to the store on Sunday. Because God understands Autism, He understands the compulsion and desperate need my son has to finish this project. He knows that my child will literally be stalled until this step is complete, unable to sleep or function until he has that part. So I don’t stand in his way.
I let this be between God and my child. (He has a licence, so it is different than if I had to drive him.) I am still trying to teach him correct principles, but God is a perfect teacher. And I trust that my child will learn what he needs to learn with God’s help.
God Knows Your Child’s Future and Will Guide You Both
This is a lifelong journey, and knowing that God fully understands our needs, our strengths, and our weaknesses, helps me trust him. I have a long way to go. But I am grateful for this new insight. Because there were many years when I struggled to fit my son into what was socially expected. I used to work really hard to make him fit in. That approach didn’t bring the success I had hoped. And it left both of us frustrated, and didn’t help the situation.
Sometimes I worry that those early years may have demoralized my son and left him doubting himself. So now I do my best to be encouraging and empowering. I have learned that some things can only be learned through experience. I can tell him about something all day, but until he experiences it, the meaning doesn’t fully click.
Leaning on the Lord has been the best parenting decision I could have ever made. God knows my child, his needs, and what he needs to be successful. So I will keep repeating to myself that God understands Autism, pray daily for guidance, and trust it will be ok. Because God understands autism.
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