“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
Having a relationship with God isn’t always easy. There are lots of times that I feel as if I’m not strong enough for the things he’s asking me to do, for the challenges I’m facing, and believe me, this year I’ve had my share. But I have come to learn that God will always be there for us, we just have to choose to let him. And often times those moments that seem the darkest, turn out to be our greatest blessings.
As the parent of a child with significant special needs, and a drive to seriously hurt himself, there are many times when I have looked up and cried out to God, “why”?! My heart breaks every time I’m not fast enough to stop Hayden from punching himself or when I hear from staff that Hayden has hit his head again. (There’s a reason he wears a hockey helmet.) But if I have learned anything these last 18 years, it is that Hayden’s life has purpose and it isn’t always about me. By choosing to let go of him, by allowing other people into his life to help him, I know that God has used him to change lives and I’m sure he will continue to do so.
I read an article this weekend about how God measures productivity. Many of us live with the mindset that we need to get as much done as possible in as little time as possible. I am no exception and especially before my accident, I would often feel guilty if I wasn’t going at full speed. But, the point of this article was that maybe sometimes we need to sit in traffic, to be late, to not get something done. It isn’t always given to us to know how the actions and events in our lives ripple out to affect other people. That’s part of trusting in God.
When we are children, it is the responsibility of our parents to guide us and protect us from things that we aren’t cognitively or emotionally aware of. Don’t you think it’s possible that God does the same thing for us? Maybe he’s protecting us when we are waiting at that red light or we get delayed in the drive-thru. If there is a God out there capable of creating the universe and everything in it from a vast emptiness (and I sincerely believe that there is) then he is more than capable of being able to love and care for each one of us individually.
It isn’t always given to us to know why bad things happen in our lives, but if we trust in our Father (just as we hope our children trust in us) then I know it is possible for him to make everything for our good. And, just as we are there for our children, giving them strength through their hurts and disappointments, there is nothing we can’t do, or get through with Him who gives us strength.
God bless,
Meredith
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