The Harvest in The Hospital

While I was on the sidelines of the ER with my son, I witnessed people carrying out God's work in urgent and not-so-urgent needs.  What struck me deep, though, was when I witnessed the Holy Spirit work through someone in an unexplainable way.  

We forget to expect the unexpected...

Because it WILL happen.

Why?

Because God chooses to send His Holy Spirit down in a way that blesses the socks off of us, and at this time above, to bless and comfort a mother and her child.  What appeared on the outside to be a small, almost insignificant, work from one person to another, affected those in the room who heard the Spirit speaking. 

God can work miracles through ordinary, totally imperfect circumstances.

For. a. reason.

I have said this before, and I'll say it again:

The Lord is in charge of the harvest.  

Not us.  We think we have it all figured out, how to present a few Bible verses, and lo and behold someone has the stamped seal of salvation approval!  We think we know how to set boundaries and learn love languages.

But, honestly, things usually don't work according to our human ideas.  I didn't find salvation through a step-by-step process, and I think that for many others it doesn't happen that way either.  But, God knows what each of us needs. He knows how we need to love and be loved.  He knows how far we have to go to really receive Him, and His gift of salvation.  We really don't know; we aren't God.

Yet, when God comes down in a miraculous act, we know Him.

The Lord is in charge of the results, not us.  He works hard preparing the soil of someone's heart and life, and if the seed that is sown falls into the right ground, and the Spirit waters it enough,  it will grow and yield a harvest.  Sometimes it is big, but sometimes it is huge.  Only HE knows; it is then that we see Him and know the work he performed.

Are you praying for a harvest in someone?

Do not give up, but pray for the Lord to open their hearts to receive Him and His Spirit, and He will bring it in. Who knows?

Perhaps He will bring a miracle of even small proportions, one that speaks volumes to all those involved and one that they will never forget.  Just as in the hospital, the Lord cares for a single mom and her child, so He cares about each one of us.

In His grip~Kim

Originally published 9/27/2014

Faith, Trust and Hope in a Crisis

I found myself in a new medical crisis recently with my special needs son.  Multiple trips to the ER, hospital admissions, and yet, no real answers.  A week of struggle, and then yet another round of ER trips, and our most recent hospital admission, three weeks in the making.

There are still no long-term solutions to his condition. The doctor gave me a medical diagnosis of "hopelessness." He stated that the condition may never clear up because of my son's genetic syndrome.

Yet, this reminds of the time we received his medical diagnosis of Prader-Willi Syndrome, and we were told that all he would do is sit around and do nothing....well, that obviously did not come true!

So, I refuse to believe in his pessimism.  Yes, his course of medical treatment may require a shift, but truly, the doctors may write a medical diagnosis, but they cannot write the end of his story!

Why?

Because the LORD already wrote it!

FAITH in Jesus must be our cornerstone during these times.

TRUST in God's plan for our families must remain in our view.

HOPE in the Lord's solution to our child's problems must be what we hold on to no. matter. what.

If I give into my fears that things may not go well, then I risk having faith for the worst.

You know how when you are in a crisis and too many people stand up against you, pushing against what you KNOW to be the truth?  Sometimes, it can attempt to pull us into a gushing rapid river of action. At least, that is how I felt, and still feel right now. 

I kept clinging to rocks and building dams. I would go under and come up gasping for air, facing yet another problem in my son's condition. Yet, the river continued to carry me downstream.

My whole life was turned upside down in an instant.

As each small crisis settled, I looked around for the trees and rocks that had sustained me.  I realized that Jesus put them there to support me so that I could support my son.

It is a reminder that we must have FAITH, TRUST, and HOPE for the future in Christ!

As we know in Special Needs Land, we will probably end up in another crisis, and God will yet, again, place people in our paths to help guide and support us. Even if we go under, we will come out on the other side with a solution. We can TRUST that He will and has already made a way.  Then, we have HOPE for the future, because we see the miracles of His provision already.  The Bible says,

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Are you in a medical crisis today?

Look for God's provision both in and out of your crisis.  Who and what is left, and what is God's plan for your family's future? The Holy Spirit is still moving.  He continues to guide and provide for us. Yes, even in a crisis, He provides, even when our hearts fear the most.  He is still there, swiftly carrying us.

PRAY first, to seek the Lord's direction.  He knows the way, and He has the answer or even delivers your need. Cling to Him FIRST.

Then, have FAITH, TRUST, AND HOPE in the Lord's plan for your child's current needs.


In His grip~Kim

Originally published 9/19/2014

Parenting Special Needs in the Middle of a Mess

While in the bathroom, I suddenly hear screams and chaos.  I hurry out of the bathroom to the sounds erupting into the morning, only to run into two angry boys, ready to defend their cause.  

One forgetting he has a brother with special needs, and the other in a special needs shut-down.  With Mama Bear's swiftness, I stand before them, insisting on order and peace.

I must at moments like these, bridge the gap for them between two different worlds: special needs and normal.  Yet, they are just boys; two different worlds who must live under the same roof.  But, the conflicts are the same in the rest of the world, only more divided.

We all live it as special needs parents.  There are expectations of each world that conflict.  Yet, both must be brought together in peace.  Add our faith as Christians, in the mix of that, and you do have one big mess at times!

Love is messy!

People get aggravated, annoyed, and yet, still love each other.  As in the case of boys, well, they may get a bit too rowdy, but there is brotherly love.  Yet, they have to learn to work through conflicts and settle disputes among themselves, without the wildness.  As parents, we know that this is just part of growing up.

But, with special needs, it is not always so easy to reconcile in the world.  There is autism and genetically induced mental illness.  There are physical and medical disabilities.  Why does the Lord allow this to happen?  I don't know. 

Perhaps to bridge the medical community into the equation? To help us find our faith?  We can only trust the Lord's purposes, because He is, after all, the Creator.

What I do know is that we are all interconnected.  We cannot just walk away from each other.  

Diving in deep with the Holy Spirit is the only way.

Unfortunately, not everyone dives in that deep.

Most of us know that love only comes with honesty.  People can dip their toe in, or tread water, but they will never truly love because they hate their own reflection.  They have yet to receive the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, who brings the gift of true salvation.  

So it is with those who refuse to accept our special needs children as they are. They think they have the right to falsely judge and accuse special needs people because they are struggling with their own hearts. And they refuse to accept or help.

But, both worlds must co-exist.

Truly.  In order for peace to occur between the special and normal worlds.  The normal world must give in to the reality that special is just that--special. They need the help of those who are "normal" and need them to rise above their living only for their own needs. 

Special needs people cannot change who God created them to be, to accommodate the normal world's ideas of how life should be.

Likewise, special needs people must forgive the self-centeredness of the normal world, that fails to accommodate their very real needs, and the inability to be normal all, or most, of the time.  They must try to reach out in love and kindness, even when the normal world harshly begrudges their needs. 

Some special needs individuals, who understand enough, will have to learn to accept that the normal world just does not understand their needs.

It all comes down to love.

Yes, this is a tall order.

But, we MUST bridge these two worlds as parents and advocates, and we need others from the normal world to help us bridge them as well.  It is our reality, and our daily challenge to find this kind of support.   Yes, it is messy on the surface, but God will make the way straight, no matter what the circumstances are.

We must be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ; this is true love, and it IS messy! To serve in the way that God calls you to.  We DON'T have to completely lay ourselves down to be trampled and martyred.

Prayer, and trusting in the Holy Spirit's leading of us, is our only hope to find His will!

Jesus already paid the price!

In His grip~Kim

Originally published 9/13/2014

#Justhavefaith

I pulled into the driving lane to place our order for lunch at a drive-through with my son only minutes before our doctor's appointment.  I quickly scanned the menu and discovered this particular Chick-Fil-A had grilled chicken nuggets, which in our experience, is a rare event. While there is no guarantee that the nuggets are 100% gluten-free (which we cannot eat), they are of course, better than some other alternatives.

So, I. was. ecstatic.

Yes, even over grilled chicken nuggets.

Why? Because the Holy Spirit moved me there.

I could not have planned to pull into a drive-through at a fast food restaurant, having resolved myself to gluten, and then receiving something even better.  It certainly was not something I knew before I pulled up into the drive-through. However, it was something that the Spirit provided for us because He knew:

1) My son could not wait to eat.

2) Our choices came down to Chick Fil A or MickieDs.

For us, it was the only choice.

Don't you love the Lord?!

Isn't it amazing when these little God-moments happen? Right plop in the middle of ordinary daily events & needs. God does care about your little things too. They are completely unplanned, and right before your very eyes, the Lord provides exactly what your family needs when you need it.

God makes a way when you jump in faith!

To the outsider, it may appear to be luck or one of those nice little surprises.  To the Christian who is the recipient of such an incident, praying for the way to go, events like this are "dropped out of the sky" blessings from God.

Luck has nothing to do with it.

But, the Holy Spirit had everything to do with it!

When we receive Christ, He blesses us with the Holy Spirit, who will guide and intercede for us, providing for our every need.  Faith in Jesus is all we need.

The Bible says, Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

In His grip~Kim

Originally published on 9/6/2014