When asked what religion I am, I typically answer, “I am a Christian.” This descriptor, though, feels like it falls short; so many professing to be Christians abhor the very teachings of Jesus, but I digress.
Somewhere along my walk of faith, God opened my eyes to the wealth of substance my faith was missing by not studying the roots of our faith as Christians, which lay in Judaism.
The season of Hannukah is coming to a close, but it holds a unique hope for us as special needs parents!
It was approximately 160 years before Jesus was born, and—once again—Israel was in trouble.
The Syrians invaded and committed unimaginable evil in the temple of the Lord, which led to war. As this war ended, a miracle happened. In John 10, Jesus joined in the celebration of this miracle. To this day, both Jews and Messianic Jews continue celebrating this miracle which we know as Hanukkah.
Photo by Enrique Macias on Unsplash
At the end of the war, only a single jar of pure oil, previously sealed by the high priest, remained. There was only enough to keep the menorah, a seven-branched candle, lit for one day. There was not enough oil to keep the menorah burning, and it would take eight days to produce more.
What could they do? They put the oil in the menorah, praying God would keep it lit. He did, by the way, and it stayed lit for eight days. While this may seem like a random history lesson, I promise we are getting to my point.
God made a way where there was no way for Israel, once again, because they were obedient.
Their obedience allowed them to see the miracle. A war-torn, broken people turned back to God, and he showed them, in a very tangible way, HE WAS THERE.
It would be extremely easy to say, “So what? Who cares if the candle burned?” One might ask, “Why didn’t they make the oil, then light the candles?”
We do not understand the importance of the candle because we have never learned. That is, to some extent, our own doing.
In the same way, a neurotypical family may not understand the beauty of your child trying a bite of new food, of a preteen child brushing their teeth without protest, or of you responding to a meltdown with prayer. These are the miracles we understand because they are part of our culture. Our God is the God of miracles—to this day.
Now to the point:
I am a special needs mama. Sometimes after a week of advocating for my children, tag-teaming with my husband, keeping our home together, working, appointments, and all the things we have to do, plus enduring judgment from strangers, I feel exhausted and utterly useless. It is nothing like years of invasion or war, but I am tired.
I have learned in these times that I have to lean upon God to be enough. Sure, it is easy for food or other comforts to numb the pain. It is easy to do what will not feed my soul. I have found that praying amid a meltdown, or worshiping in the middle of tremendous frustration, brings more peace than a glass of wine or whining to a friend ever will—because it brings God into the equation. It aligns my heart with him. When that happens, I see a miracle. How so? He multiplies the little bit I have left to give and makes it enough.
These are places God is still showing up today. I cannot tell you how many times we have seen a breakthrough in moments of praising God through the pain. I cannot count how many times God has shown up in the midst of impossible, exhausting, frustrating moments. He has shown me HE IS THERE.
My obedience in surrendering impossible moments to him has led to simple little miracles that most would not appreciate.
And if you seek him, he will show up for you, too.
Friends, I encourage you to welcome God into the blessed, stressed, and special-interest-obsessed world in which you live. Pray for your children in these moments. Cry out to God in worship music and offer him a sacrifice of praise (I could author an entire article on this, but praising God even when you are not happy is a beautiful sacrifice to the Lord). And then, when God moves in the littlest way, celebrate it. Celebrate the eye contact and the first steps. Celebrate the unfamiliar word (even if it is a little colorful). Celebrate the pointing. Celebrate whatever makes your world a little brighter. It is a myth that milestones must happen at certain times to celebrate them. It is a shame that we think that every one of these little gifts is anything less than a miracle.
In light of this Hanukkah, I encourage you with something I have seen on many Jewish websites and heard from other believers in Jesus who celebrate these days: Advertise the Miracle. EVERY SINGLE MIRACLE. Our lives are too short! Do not dismiss miracles as mundane. Tell everyone what you have witnessed!
Tell people we serve a God who was there.
We serve the God who was there when Noah stepped on the boat; when Moses parted the Red Sea; when the Israelites needed oil to last a week longer than it should; and when we—little old us—needed a savior. If He was there for such important things, our good God, our loving Father, is there for us now. He is there amidst the meltdowns and the heartbreak. We do not always see him, but God is there for you and your children. That is a miracle.
Advertise the miracle, friends. Then when God shows up, repeatedly, in hundreds of little ways, advertise it again.
Hanukkah Sameach, my sweet friends, may you see the miracle you need this season, and may you know the God of miracles—who fights for his people and provides for their every need.
Joanna French is the special needs pastor at Flint Hills Church, Junction City, KS. Joanna and her husband Jairmie have two boys with autism. In 2017, Joanna started Flint Hills Embrace, with the goal to make Flint Hills Church a place where everyone belongs. Why? Because we all have a place in God's plan.
