Trusting…

As a mom of a child that would be diagnosed as “autistic”, everyday is an opportunity to see God develop our child into who He wants him to be. I’ve never felt so completely helpless until my husband and I both discovered that our child had a severe communication delay. Instead of going to get a medical diagnosis, we decided to just be satisfied with his school’s evaluation of a delay. From church preschool to public school, we have set through meeting after meeting and by now have it hammered into our minds that our son is different. I would like to call him unique and gifted with special gifts that we discover in God’s timing.

Our son Liam unknowingly takes us on this adventure; it’s a journey that uncovers parts of God’s heart towards us. We hear God speak to us through every daily challenge… and I mean daily. God seems to be encouraging us through whispers of hope as Liam begins to express himself in new ways that show he is taking hold of language better and becoming less frustrated. For his first four years of life, I never heard him say his name nor the phrase “thank you” and “I love you”; he maybe Knew how to say them as one would a foreign language but he really didn’t grasp what he was saying. When he turned five and began using those words in the right function, my heart would melt; God was showing me how the little things matter and how not to take things for granted; what may be normal for most kids is just not always normal for our son.

This school year we decided to homeschool our little boy full time; we are watching him go from only reading some sight words to actually reading short sentences in story books on a kindergarten/ 1st grade level. Our Liam seems to be “catching up” in some ways to his peers…in small steps of course. These small victories cause us to lean more on God daily, for everyday we can’t wait to see improvement and hear what new concept Liam has grasped. It’s exciting to see him try to articulate Bible stories and try to explain what God is doing in stories like Moses. It’s exciting to see him begin to be more focused and less frustrated.

It’s amazing to see an expression of awe on his face when he watches a depiction of the Red Sea parting. Sometimes with Liam’s lack of articulation the wonder in his sweet boy eyes says it all!

Being parents of a child with a communication difficulty is no small assignment, nor is it daunting. It has been one of spiritual growth for Steve and I and it has caused many moments of tears of frustration as parents, as well as tears of joy as we watch God mold our little boy into who he is meant to be. It is through God’s Grace that we wait, trust, and hold on to Hope, for our sweet boy is indeed a gift.