Adventures In Faith
My husband and I were traveling to visit my grandparents in Florida. We were leaving from our small Richmond airport. We always look around for people we may know or recognize even when in larger airports, because you never know who else is on the go. I did not recognize anyone around our terminal, but recognized a very familiar sound. I turned to my husband and said, “That’s J!”. He was surprised that I could recognize a child by the sounds and his voice in this busy airport….
Written by Naomi Brubaker
What feels like a very long time ago, I was in a unique situation. It was an opportunity for me to be used by God as a means to bring peace and comfort to a whole family without me even realizing it. My husband and I were traveling to visit my grandparents in Florida. We were leaving from our small Richmond airport. We always look around for people we may know or recognize even when in larger airports, because you never know who else is on the go. I did not recognize anyone around our terminal, but recognized a very familiar sound. I turned to my husband and said, “That’s J!”. He was surprised that I could recognize a child by the sounds and his voice in this busy airport.
I spotted them in the terminal seating area and went over to introduce myself. I taught at this boy’s small private school for kids with autism in another classroom. The whole family was traveling to Florida for an experimental trial and then of course Disney. They were nervous and so was J. I could tell by the sounds he was making that he was teetering on the edge of a meltdown in the middle of the airport. I feared what a small space of the airplane would feel like for him. I told the family that if they needed any help while on the plane to come find me and I gave them my seat/row number.
We all boarded the plane, J and his family were close to the front on the plane, while my husband and I were towards the back. Not long after taking off, the seatbelt light clicked off and almost immediately J’s sister was at my row. Out of breath, she quickly said, “Were you serious about helping us?” I kindly said “Yes” and left my husband to see how I could be of any support to this family. When I got to J’s row, his mom was sitting next to him trying to calm him down. The look of panic was replaced with relief when she saw me standing there willing to help. She simply said “I just don’t know what to do.” I told her it was totally fine and she could sit with my husband if she wanted to during the flight. She passed over the reins of her intricate boy and bag of goldfish and breathed a timid breath as she walked back to my old seat.
J and I settled in for an exciting 2 hour ride to the Orlando airport. I used lots of distraction techniques to help him stay seated in the small confines of his seat. I helped him use the tiny bathroom with the VERY loud toilet and wash his hands in a sink unlike any he had used before. We ordered drinks and snacks and talked about what it was like to be in the clouds. There were moments when I thought I was going to have a bad situation on my hands, and then we recovered into a safe space. It really tested my ability to remain calm and loving to him in this environment packed with people. We landed in Florida and got off the plane and we all reunited in the terminal space, me with my husband and J with his family. They asked when my return flight was so we could travel together on the way back. It felt so good to be able to care for this family during the stress of traveling. It is a plane ride I will never forget.
I am so proud of this family’s bravery to ask for help. There are so many times I am hesitant to ask for help because I don’t want my own weakness exposed, especially when it comes to my parenting. 2 Corinthians 12:19 says exactly this- "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. “
I honor this family's ability to recognize their needs and their limits while still stepping out of their comfort zone to travel and stretch themselves.
Psalm 16:5-6 says, “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup, you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” God has given us limits for our good and we must recognize and honor them.
This family trusted God would provide and they trusted me, a complete stranger. This trust allowed them to widen the circle of care not only for their son, but for their whole family. They kept their eyes open to what God’s provision would look like and acted when they needed. The family stuck together and supported each other in this challenging circumstance. Rather than blaming or feeling guilty, they celebrated the fact they could receive help.
Now as a mother, traveling feels as exhausting as it must have for this family…it feels scary too. Will I be able to provide for the needs of my family when we step away from our systems, structure, predictability and comforts of our home? The answer is unfortunately “no”, I will not be able to provide and protect as I typically do, but God will. Not only that, leaving the comfort zone and relying on God brings growth, family unity and adventure.
So, plan for God to step in where you know you will not be enough and be ready when He brings unlikely answers to your needs.
Written by Naomi Brubaker
Naomi is a mom of 3 girls ages 7, 5, and 2. Her oldest daughter is diagnosed with ADHD and a visual processing disorder. Her family lives in Richmond Virginia where Naomi leads the special needs ministry at their church. Her background in special education and ability to understand parents from her experiences with her daughter give her a unique perspective in her role at the church. Naomi loves to run, sew and take walks with her husband with any free time she has.
When Our Lives Are In Upheaval
I think we can all agree that this year has been a doozie. September marks the 7th month of our country and lives collectively being changed by the measures taken for a virus and the future being unpredictable. Being families with special needs, we've been through that unpredictable process before, even though this is very different.
Written by Sarah McGuire
September makes me think of fall, even though it still feels like summer to start out. I love fall - pumpkins, cooler breezes, apple cider, campfires, hot chocolate, s'mores, colorful leaves. Okay, I still have to wait a month or so for that one. But, I love fall in the north.
September also brings a settling into the routine of the school year. The newness is overcome and we start to "hit our stride". This year that settledness probably isn't as settled or as comfortable with the changes brought by COVID-19 or maybe the new teacher, school, routine, online or homeschooling is hitting some snags and isn't going well.
I think we can all agree that this year has been a doozie. September marks the 7th month of our country and lives collectively being changed by the measures taken for a virus and the future being unpredictable. Being families with special needs, we've been through that unpredictable process before, even though this is very different.
But that isn't a new state of being for us, is it?
What do we do when our lives are in upheaval and we can't project how or when they will be better again? One of the best things I've learned to help my state of mind and emotions during times of overwhelm, unsureness (of course, that's a word!), upheaval, unpredictability, trial, etc are looking at, learning, and remembering the names of God. Many of His names are based on His characteristics - who He is. In the Bible, names were often given based on their meaning. God even changed people's names to reflect a change in their life and to match the meaning of their name to that change.
Psalm 9:10 says, "And those who know your name put their trust in you." Trust in God is something that can keep us sane, focused, and at peace during times of unrest. I don't know about you, but when I focus on me and my circumstances, I lose focus on God and my anxiousness and unrest increases.
Intentionally recalling the names of God refocuses me on Him.
If you would like a great book to learn more about the names of God, check out God's Names by Sally Michael. This is a devotional I did with my boys a few years back that continues to bless me.
Written by Sarah McGuire
Sarah McGuire is the Mom of two boys and co-founder of Hope Anew, a nonprofit that guides parents to Christ-centered hope and healing. You can follow Hope Anew on Facebook here. You can also check out Hope Anew’s Online Community here!
Due to COVID-19, Hope Anew is waiving all membership fees for the community!
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When Life Is Hard
We are one month into the new year! You may being feeling invigorated and ready to take on the rest of the year or you may be feeling overwhelmed and ready to crawl back into bed. Jonathan McGuire shares a Bible passage that he found to be encouraging during a time of high stress and uncertainty.
How are you doing? No, REALLY…how are you doing? Are you feeling great, energetic and looking forward to the day? Or are you feeling tired, stressed, and overwhelmed?
If I am being completely transparent, I would have to say that I am more in the latter category. Our family is the middle of a move. This isn’t one of those moves where you are looking forward to the new possibilities (although we will get there). Due to health reasons, we are moving, leaving our dream house and property and frankly don’t know where or what we are moving to. To add a little more stress to the situation, we are losing a quarter of our income with this move and won’t be able to take most of our belongings with us.
These last couple days have been extra hard as Sarah has been packing, deciding what we can keep and can’t and grieving the loss of the home where our boys have spent the last eight years of their lives growing up. There has been a lot of tears as we let go.
Can you relate to this?
I was reading the Bible this morning and Genesis 18 stood out to me. In this chapter, we see a very old Abraham and Sarah. The promise of God has not been fulfilled yet and his descendants do not yet number the stars. When we find Abraham, it is the hottest part of the afternoon and he is escaping the heat by relaxing in the opening of his tent. The Lord shows up in the form of three strangers and he immediately jumps up, greets them, washes their feet and asks them to stay to eat.
While eating, the Lord blesses Abraham and tells him that in a years time He will come back and Abraham and Sarah will have a son. Sarah is not there, but is in the tent listening and in her disbelief, laughs.
My tendency is to want to judge Sarah for not having faith. But let’s look at this situation through her eyes. What would you have thought if you were her? The reality is, she was old and beyond child bearing years and so was Abraham. We don’t know this but I do know people, especially people of faith, and I would almost bet that she had prayed on multiple occasions before then that they would have a child. Being childless was a disgrace in that time. She had lived years and to that point, God had not answered and provided them with a child.
God hears Sarah, and turns to Abraham and asks, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child now that I am old.’” This is the part I love, in verse 14 He asks, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
I love this because I know God is with me. I know He is in control. I love this because I know that this situation that seems overwhelming to me is not too hard for the Lord.
Is it too hard for me? Definitely, I don’t have all the answers and that’s okay. God never promised that we wouldn’t have more than we can handle. He did say that He would be with us every step of the way and we can know that nothing is too hard for Him.
Preaching The Gospel To Yourself
As parents of children with special needs we all have been on the receiving end of biblical clichés that often hurt more than they do good. Written by Laurisa Ballew
As parents of children with special needs we all have been on the receiving end of biblical clichés that often hurt more than they do good. They come from well-meaning individuals, but instead of sweet promises that the Bible holds, they feel like heavy words. Words that often leave us feeling guilty or less than enough. “God will not give you more than you can handle” is one of my favorite phrases to hate. While I do believe this is true when it comes to TEMPTATION like the verse says in context, this doesn’t apply to the children that we have been given.
My daughter is often more than I am capable of handling. Caring for her in the way she needs is way beyond my abilities, and I am constantly falling short. So this verse, if I took it the way people say it, makes me feel like I just need to do better, since it implies I can handle it since God gave it to me.
In 2 Corinthians 12 God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more in my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” THIS is GOOD NEWS! And the better news is that the bible is FULL of these life-giving promises.
When I was a newly married women I had a friend from church who presented the idea of “preaching the gospel to yourself.” I was going through a hard time and so it was something I started practicing. It is a pretty simple tool I have used over the years to keep myself rooted in what the bible ACTUALLY SAYS and to remained encouraged even in the hardest of times.
So how do we preach the Gospel to ourselves? I start by sitting down with my Bible and a notebook. Then, I go through a few passages and simply write out the promises held in it. This is really easily done in Psalms, but it truly works anywhere you are reading. The point is being intentional about writing these passages out and having them to fall back on when the hard times come.
For the purpose of this blog I decided to use a Psalm to pull a few promises from.
Psalm 9.
9- The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10- Those who know your name trust in you, for you Lord have never forsaken those who seek you.
12- He does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.
16- The Lord is known by his acts of Justice.
18- God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
In living this “Chronic Life” we must be firmly rooted in Christ. Discouragement is real, and ready to become a true thorn in our sides. Taking a few minutes daily to ground ourselves and remind ourselves who God is, and what His word says, helps remind us we are not alone in the brokenness of the world.
Written by Laurisa Ballew
Laurisa Ballew is a nurse by trade and mother to a special needs child by fate. She fiercely believes hope and grief walk hand in hand in life, and that storytelling is the universal language that connects us all. Laurisa has three daughters and writes about the constant humility of parenting in her blog Raising A Sisterhood.
When Life Is Too Hard
The phone buzzed with an incoming email. I was sitting in our minivan out in my parents’ garage hiding and crying – a full on ugly cry with gasping sobs. Written by Sarah McGuire
The phone buzzed with an incoming email. I was sitting in our minivan out in my parents’ garage hiding and crying – a full on ugly cry with gasping sobs. We were coming to the end of our visit to the Midwest where both of our families lived. It was only a couple of days until we needed to go “home.” Eleven hundred miles away from help and our support system. I was feeling the crushing weight of the non-stop caregiving for a 4-year-old and special needs two-year-old piling directly onto me again and I didn’t have enough strength or energy to bear it.
During this full-on ugly cry, I was also crying out to God. I wasn’t asking anything or listening to what He might say, or focusing on Him. I was just unloading my soul. My soul thoughts were pretty straightforward, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it. God, it’s so much. It’s too much. It’s beyond my ability to bear. I can’t do it.”
With tears running down my face, I checked my email. A sweet friend back in Texas had been praying for me and felt God wanted her to share a few things with me. She had no idea what was going on. We hadn’t had any contact in weeks. Specifically, she shared three verses or things drawn from three verses. All three were exactly what I needed to hear, but the one that stood out the most was, “I can move mountains.” This was taken from Matthew 17:20 (NLT), “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
One of the things I love most about the message from God through my friend, it focused on Him and what He can do “I can move mountains,” not on my lack of faith.
God knew I was already so discouraged. I didn’t need to have one more area of failure pointed out. I needed to change my focus, get it off of what I can and cannot do and focus on Him and what He can do.
It’s a decade later, and I still get overwhelmed by life circumstances. I often need to get my eyes off of me and my circumstances and look at God and who He is. Two of my all-time favorite chapters of the Bible are Isaiah 40-41, especially 40:12-28 because this section illustrates how He is amazing, mighty, and without equal. Here are a few of my favorites (40:12, 25-26), “Who has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighted the mountains and hills on a scale?” “ ‘To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?’ asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of His great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.”
When life is too hard and you are overwhelmed, remember He can move mountains. He’s in the business of impossible, and your problem is not too big for Him.
Written by Sarah McGuire
