You Are Not Alone – Join a Group that “Gets It!”
A friend looked at me and said, “Your whole faith foundation is shaking, as if you have no firm ground to stand on, isn’t it?” Written by Sarah McGuire
A friend looked at me and said, “Your whole faith foundation is shaking, as if you have no firm ground to stand on, isn’t it?” She’s the only one who knew and I hadn’t told her. I was so fearful others would find out I was questioning God and the very building blocks of my faith in Him. I was so ashamed I had these questions and doubts. My relationship with God had been my entire life. It had shaped my education, life goals, and daily rhythms. And now, I didn’t know what was true anymore.
Oh, I knew the book answers. I had graduated top of my class with a B.A. in Bible/Theology and another with a M.A. in Biblical Counseling. I went to a good Bible-teaching church, but it wasn’t meeting me where I was at. It didn’t get to the practical daily life questions that had become my struggle in the two years since my son with additional needs had been born and my world had flipped upside down. I felt so alone. Alone with my questions. Big, deep, scary God-questions. Doubts. Fears. Struggles. Life circumstances with no apparent answers. No way out.
My friend promised to pray for me, no judgement, just loving concern. That’s the best response she could have given. My questions were so deep that quick, simple answers were not going to solve them. It’s been over ten years since that conversation. I spent many of those years wrestling with God. I’ve found the answers to my faith questions and my relationship with God is stronger and truer than it was before.
As my husband, Jonathan, and I have talked with other parents of kids with disabilities or special needs, we’ve learned that I was definitely not alone with my questions and struggles. Questions and struggles not only in relation to God, but also in relation to how to navigate this life as a parent with a child who has additional needs. But, who do we go to with our questions? Who do we go to for support on days when life is overwhelming and often others just don’t “get it”?
Hope Anew is launching an online community for parents of kids with disabilities or special needs. A laugh together, cry together, pray together community.
Some features of the community include:
Forums/Chat room
Subgroups for more specific areas of interest (residential care, adoption, etc)
Quarterly master classes
Soul Care events with sharing and prayer
Answers to questions that can’t be googled
Monthly themes related to parenting kids with additional needs
And more…
Come join us in the Hope Anew Online Community, where together we are building the most encouraging, real, hope-filled way for parents of children (of all ages) impacted by disabilities or special needs to engage with a group that “gets it!”
For more information go to www.HopeAnew.com. You can also find us on Facebook and can glean from others who have walked this path on the Hope Anew Disability Podcast.
Written by Sarah McGuire
Why, God, Did You Fail Me?
I had grand dreams of the ministry work we would do and the global impact that we would be a part of through our ministry with Wycliffe. The reality of life was a far cry from that. I rarely left the house, couldn’t build friendships, and caring for our sons was so all-consuming…Written by Sarah McGuire
My one-year old son had been sick since he was three weeks old: screaming, writhing, projectile vomiting every time he ate, anal fissures, bashing his head into hard surfaces, rashes, not sleeping for more than twenty minutes at a time, and more. My husband, myself, and our now three year old son had moved across the country the year before with our work as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. In our assigned location of Arlington, Texas, we had no friends, family or church connections upon our arrival and our youngest son’s health issues kept me mostly homebound.
I had grand dreams of the ministry work we would do and the global impact that we would be a part of through our ministry with Wycliffe. The reality of life was a far cry from that. I rarely left the house, couldn’t build friendships, and caring for our sons was so all-consuming taking 20-22 hours out of the 24 in a day, leaving only two to four hours for sleep. I was barely functioning, let alone reaching out to the rest of the world with the Scriptures.
As the days turned to weeks, the weeks to months and the months into a year and more, I started questioning God, His involvement in my life, His care of me and my family, His care for this world and the fight of good versus evil within it. In short, I had a crisis of faith and I learned six paradigm shifting lessons over the next several years as I worked through these and other questions.
Suffering can lead to a crisis of faith, even if you are (or thought you were) fully submitted to God’s will and to serving Him.
Even ministry leaders will struggle in their faith and will question God.
You can be faithful and obedient to God and life may not go well for you. I was serving God obediently and faithfully. Why was He failing me?
God’s goodness and care doesn’t stem from our perspective or what He does or does not do for us in this life. God is God and He is good, regardless.
God not “fixing” a situation does not mean He doesn’t see us, has abandoned us, or isn’t good. Fixing it is just not His plan, at least not for now.
|\In the process of questioning and wrestling with God, we will get to know Him better – for Himself, as He truly is, not as we have been taught about Him, but Him.
My faith was shaken to its foundations and I questioned and wrestled with God for several years as I worked to rebuild it. And in the rebuilding, I found a God who loves me, even when I doubt or don’t achieve. I found a God who is bigger and more mysterious than I knew. I found a God who wants me to be more like Him and who wants to purify my heart, motives and beliefs, even though that process may cause me pain (which also pains Him) and may have caused some distance in our relationship for a time (which also pains Him). I found a God who is the definition of unfailing love. He is love and I am His, regardless of life circumstances.
Written by Sarah McGuire
