Recently, I have been reading a lot about JOY and what it means to have joy in our life! To truly embrace wherever we are at in life, whatever we are facing - to face it with joy and how refreshing this has been! I have loved walking this journey of joy...and then, somewhere along the way that sneaky little guy discouragement began peering his ugly head. At first it was subtle - just a small twinge here and there...like in the finances of having a senior and all the expenses that come with that...then the joy came back in realizing the fun and excitement. Then there was the small criticism of ministry...and then the joy came back in a parent expressing what a difference we are making.
However, last night...well last night that mean ole' guy discouragement reared up in FULL FORCE! Attacking one of the most delicate and sensitive areas of my life...that of my sweet special needs son. At the time, all the progress we have made this year homeschooling didn't matter, the fact that he is now reading random signs around town and stores vanished, or the fact that his self-confidence has improved tremendously..yep - out the window by one simple occurrence! He was playing with some other kiddos on the track during the baseball game - we still aren't sure exactly what happened but when it came time to leave he was down and upset. From what we gather - he was trying to be friends with some other Jr. High kids and they wanted nothing to do with him...
You do need to understand that he is developmentally delayed to some degree - so although 13 yrs old, he acts and socializes on a level of about an 8 to 10 yr old. So, he interacts like an 8 to 10 yr old...which doesn't always work with other teens.
So, back to that discouragement...we have seen SO much good come this past year of having him at home for school. He has really thrived - yet this one incident - one small period of time was a slap back to the reality of the situation: he doesn't fit in and now he is beginning to see that. Oh this mom (and Dad I might add) were faced with discouragement. Once again...
WE HAVE A CHOICE...wallow in that discouragement or stand firm and determine that JOY will win out! Philippians 4:4 says "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, and AGAIN I say Rejoice!" Rejoice when you realize that the finances are short, rejoice when you are criticized for your ministry, and REJOICE over your special needs son and the life God has for him! This is my decision - to pick myself up off the floor, to hold my head high, to grab hold of my son's hand, and walk this life in JOY!
I loved how my amazing husband handled this moment with our son - he sat him down and didn't try to deny that he was different, didn't hide the fact that he wasn't like other teenagers but instead stated that GOD had made him just the way he is, that GOD had a plan for his life and that following GOD was more important than having lots of friends and "fitting in". He shared with him how much he enjoys that our son gets to hang in children's church and help with the kids. He was showing him how to REJOICE in who he is and to have JOY in the life that God has planned for him...
So...we can't let this D become BIG - instead we need to squash it with JOY!!! With that - I am going to hang out with my AMAZING SON!
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