I don't know about you, but I have always found as a special needs parent, that all of the typical comments that come with a new year ring really hollow...all the wishes that are definitely well-meant, like... "May this be your best year ever..." "May this year bring good health and healing to you and your family..."
I'm not trying to be negative or pessimistic here ... I'm all for thinking positive and being open to anything that God wants to bless us with. There are blessings to be found in every day and I am so grateful for each day that I have with my son...but the reality is, when you deal with the health issues of a special needs child or live with someone who deals with chronic health issues...things don't change much from year to year...there are likely to be gains and improvements, especially if your children are young, ...but more than likely, there will be setbacks and difficulties that arise that are just part of the diseases and disorders we deal with... and the bottom line is... short of divine intervention and healing, the problems we dealt with last year with our special needs children, more than likely we are going to be dealing with them again this year and every year of their lives...
So what does the new year mean to me? What should it mean to you?
1. This year, no matter what comes, life is still a precious gift. Life is to be cherished and celebrated and not taken for granted. We need to remember that life is just a vapor and this time on earth is just a "blip" on our eternal radar screens. We need to treasure our days and those we love.
2. Our calling above all else, is to be obedient to Christ...to walk in a manner that is pleasing to Him...to seek His face...to grow in His knowledge and grace...to trust our lives and the lives of those we love to His loving care.
3. That everything God has allowed into our lives is for a purpose.... remember that He does not cause the bad...but God will take everything that the enemy has meant for harm and use it for our good and His glory...He will use every sleepless night, every struggle, every difficult day, every tear that is shed, to draw us closer to Himself. He will be there beside us grieving with us as we grieve and rejoicing with us for every blessing we receive.
4. This year is another opportunity to learn to trust God more...to learn to relinquish the things we can't control into His capable hands. It's another year for us to learn that God's grace is sufficient...that He is our peace in the storms...that His power is magnified in our weakness and we can do all things through Him.
5. The new year is an opportunity to know God better and to learn to love Him more...it's an opportunity to let His love flow through us to our children and to those around us...it's an opportunity to prepare us for our eternal home that awaits.
The new year offers hope to us all... maybe not in the way it does for others... but if our hope is in Jesus... no matter what this year brings for our children...good or bad...we know that each thing will work towards an eternal weight in glory... there is a purpose behind everything that will touch our lives this year and we know that God Almighty loves our children more than we do and He will be working behind the scenes each and every day, to bring to completion, that hope filled plan that he has for each of our children and for us.
Let me offer this prayer for you all...
Dear Lord,
We pray for your blessing to be on each person that is reading this. Lord, we ask that you would help us in this new year to be the best parents we can be. We ask to see your hand in our lives and the lives of those we love. May we feel your presence like never before. May we enter fearlessly into this new year, knowing that you are with us always until the end of the age. May we remember to daily put on the armor that you have equipped us with so we can fight the battles that will inevitably come. Lord, we give you our burdens and our cares We give you our hurts and heavy hearts. You are constantly beckoning to us to "come" and to find rest in your loving presence. Father, please give us strength and energy and all we need to take care of our family's. Help us to find the joy and blessings in each day. Help us not to just survive, but to thrive...may your joy be our strength. Bless our family's, meet their needs. Help us to love with your love and see things through your eyes. Lord, we commit this year to you and all that's in it. We ask that you make the rough roads smooth and we ask you to lead and guide us in all that we say and do. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Blessing be upon you and your family!
In His love,
Debbie Kay
