April is Autism Awareness Month.  The CDC recently announced that Autism affects 1 out of every 68 children; 1 in every 68!!  Each year this number seems to be getting lower.  I remember when it was 1 out of every 250.  I read some book early on in our journey that said 1 in every 10,000 (they were old books!).  There are so many people who are facing the same challenges we face daily.  It is a journey no parent wants to find themselves on, that is for sure!

A few years ago a friend asked me what she could say to another friend who just found out her child had autism.  She said this mom blamed herself for her son’s condition.

This broke my heart because I knew what this mom was feeling.  As a parent of a special needs child, you question EVERYTHING trying to find answers of why this has happened.  You second guess things, ‘Was it the immunization shots?’, ‘Sarah bumped her head on the fireplace hearth that one time.  Did that do it?’ ‘She had a fever that one time…’ and so on.   The Lord immediately brought to mind John 9:1-3 because this is what He used to encourage me when I felt this way.

                “As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned,this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

                Neither this man or his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

Work of God displayed!!!  Sarah is the vessel for God to show His mighty work!  When we are weak, He is strong!

I wonder what the man might have felt when he heard those words from Jesus?  Or how his parents felt?  It wasn’t anything they did (which their society believed), but it happened to show the work of God in his life!  I bet this mom had an overwhelming sense of relief.  As her son was now a grown man, how many years must she had questioned herself of what she could have done to have this happen?   I wonder in how many social settings she felt like people were judging her and now secretly felt justified?  This happened so that the work of God would be displayed!

Sadly, because they feared the Pharisees and being excommunicated from the synagogue his parents missed out on the fruition of God’s work. (John 9:20-23)  Their son, on the other hand, believed in Jesus as his Savior.  Everyone knew he was the blind man who can now see because of Christ’s work in his life.   I wonder how many people believed in Jesus because of this man’s testimony?

(And maybe his parents did come to believe in Christ later because of their son’s testimony???  These are things I will ask in Heaven!)

All I know is that I don’t want to miss out on seeing God at work in Sarah’s life (and ours!).

He is at work!  He has a reason and a plan.  If you find yourself or someone you love on a hard road like this, be encouraged! There might be a work of God getting ready to be displayed!