The Master Weaver

I have to smile at God sometimes.  Okay, a lot of times.  He can be funny.  Not funny ha-ha, but funny ironic.  (Although sometimes I do find myself looking heavenward and thinking, "REALLY?!")  I love watching Him at work, weaving lives and personal stories together, making connections.  Man, was He busy yesterday.

Yesterday I worked at our volunteer center's booth at a local street fair.  This part of our ministry is very difficult for me.  I don't consider myself a people person, so outreach and introducing others who might not be interested is completely out of my comfort zone.  However, God always rewards me when I step out of my box and into His.  I met so many different people, all with stories, all from different walks of life.  Some people didn't want our information.  Understandable.  For them, our information can be threatening.  Other people, however, wanted a hug and a shoulder to cry on.  I gave out a lot of hugs yesterday.  To protect privacy, I won't go into every story I ran into. They were heart-wrenching, though.  Several of them struck close to home and that's where God fascinates me.  I refuse to believe in coincidence.  I choose to believe in divine intervention.  I choose to believe in God's plan.  It may sound arrogant, but for two different particular parents dealing with two different particular issues, I don't believe it was a mistake that God put me there instead of someone else. One mom shared with me something that other people would have judged. Because of what I've been through with Noah though, I didn't even blink, I just hugged her a little tighter and asked her how we can help her.

That mom's story struck me the most and it showed me there really is a need for a local Christian, Bible-based support group for parents of children with special needs.  There are plenty of support groups out there, and there are plenty of diagnosis-specific support groups, but try finding one that is Christian and Biblically based that covers all your bases. Both of the parents I spoke with yesterday were looking specifically for Christian counseling and support for themselves and their children.  They don't know where to start, where to look or how to find help for their children.

Before the diagnosis process began with Noah, I had no idea where to start.  There wasn't anyone to tell me, "Take your child to this specialist,""Take your child to this person,""Hang on for the ride" and then hang on for the ride with me.  It wasn't until I blew up one day with two good friends about everything that was frustrating me with Noah and they told me I needed to talk with another friend of their's with a child with AS.  WHY DID I NEED TO TALK TO A PARENT OF A CHILD WITH AS????  Ohhhhhh. When I was finally able to talk with this other mom, she took my hand and said, "Take your son to this doctor at this center.  Take him to this social skills therapist.  Read these books.  Do this research. "  Then things started falling into place.  That was one of things that frustrated me the most--I had no guidance, even when I was trying to find it.  Even when I thought I'd found a Christian counselor for Noah, I quickly realized we were in the wrong place for him.  These parents yesterday were just as frustrated as I was (and still am, to some extent).

I think this is where God is taking me next:  Parent Education.  I've been feeling this way for a little while, mulling it over and praying about it.  Yesterday was just another step in the process.  There are so many of us out 'there' who are struggling, so many who just need someone to take their hands and say, "This is the first step you need to take.  Hold my hand and hang on for the wild ride you are about to take with your child."  I am by no means an expert on any of this, I am still learning the ropes, but in the process, I can begin teaching the ropes, too.  And I can start supporting other parents who are struggling.  I have no idea how I'm going to get this off the ground or who will help me lead it.  What I do know, is that this support group needs to happen.

God was busy yesterday, weaving lives together, whispering plans for the future and setting things into motion.