This devotion was written with special needs mommas in mind! What I pray this devotional does: 1. Reminds you God is for you. 2. Gives you peace, hope, and strength. 3. Helps you develop a deeper relationship with the Lord.
Rainbows After Rain
Day 1
Scripture: Psalms 139:13-14
Our children are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” I say that phrase often in reference to this verse in Psalms. And if we truly believe what the Bible says is true, then we have to believe that God made each one of us individually, distinctively, and wonderfully. That includes our children with disabilities.
I have two daughters on the autism spectrum. They are both extremely different and completely opposite. My oldest daughter is nonverbal, uses an AAC device to communicate, and struggles greatly in many areas. My youngest is verbal but struggles in social settings, with masking, and a variety of other struggles that some may not even notice. They are both beautifully, fearfully, and wonderfully made by our Creator.
I refuse to believe that God doesn’t have a plan for our children with disabilities. The plans He has for them may not be what we originally imagined, dreamed, or hoped for. But what if they’re better? God is an expert on using people the world deems “unworthy.” In fact, it’s his specialty.
I believe that Opal, Lucy, and all people were created by the Lord, fully and completely, despite their struggles and in spite of them. Do I believe that God purposely gives people disabilities? No. I know we live in an imperfect world, one that isn’t our home. But I believe God has a plan and a purpose for their lives. For all people with disabilities.
Prayer
Take this time to thank God for your children and how He made them to be exactly who they are. Thank Him for their smile, their strengths, and even their weaknesses. Let this time of thanks change the trajectory of the rest of your day and the attitude of your heart.
Day 2
Scripture: Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged. These are two commands that the Lord is giving us in this scripture. But why? Because He is with us, and He is our God. He WILL strengthen you, help you, and hold you up.
I don’t know about you, but having children with disabilities means I haven’t had a day without fear or discouragement of some sort. Fear often comes from thinking of the future. What if my oldest never verbally communicates? What if my children never learn to use the toilet? What if neither of my children can ever live on their own?
And discouragement comes in waves for me. Sometimes, that looks like talking to another five-year-old and realizing my child’s vast differences compared to her peers. That could be teaching something over and over again and my child not wanting to learn. That could be trying to get them to eat just one vegetable or just one fruit instead of a goldfish or potato chip.
But the Bible tells us not to be afraid or discouraged. And that gives us hope. Why? Because God isn’t just throwing this around. He’s not up in Heaven saying, “Ya, life’s pretty hard, but just don’t fear and don’t get discouraged, k?” No. He’s telling us why. Because He is with us, and He IS our God. If the God who created the universe is on our side, then we have every reason to believe Him.
I know it’s not easy to just “stop worrying,” and some days, it’s impossible not to get discouraged. Still, I challenge you today that anytime you think of the future in a negative light or you get discouraged, that in those moments, you remember that God is right there with you. He sees you. He cares. And He’s sitting right beside you.
Prayer
Give all your fears, worries, and anxieties to the Lord in this moment. Fear of the future, worries of today, anxieties that you can’t seem to shake, give them to God. Talk to Him about them, and if you need to actually open your hands to visually hand them to the Lord, then do that! God wants our worries, and He wants us to trust Him. Do that today. Don’t let your worries and anxieties eat away at you today; trust that He is faithful, and He knows the future.
Day 3
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9
Today’s verse may seem like the Lord is saying that we have to be weak so He can look strong, but this verse actually tells us the opposite. When we are weak, He comes right beside us to strengthen us.
Look at Moses. He stuttered, he was a murderer, and he had been adopted by a group of people who were enslaving his biological family members. But he is known for the burning bush, parting the Red Sea, and bringing the Hebrew people into the Promised Land. But did Moses really do those things? No. God used Moses, but it was ultimately God’s power through Moses, strengthening and emboldening him to do what God had asked.
Sometimes, our kiddos look really weak to the outside world. They may have sensory struggles, weak fine or gross motor skills, lack of communication skills, behaviors, etc. But we know that through Christ, that just isn’t true. If God can use Moses, He can use our children. And He will.
Our kiddos aren’t here by accident. They are here with a divine purpose from our Creator. A God who loves them deeply and cares just as much about their story as anyone else’s. When they are weak, and when we are weak, HE is strong.
Prayer
“God, thank you for loving our children. We know you love them more than we do, and even though it’s impossible to wrap our minds around, it’s a beautiful thing. That if we care about our children and their future, that you care even more about them. Thank you for their past, present, and future and we thank you for the hope we have in you. We trust You and lean into YOUR understanding that when we are weak, when our children are weak, you are strong. And we thank you for YOUR plan. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Day 4
Scripture: Isaiah 40:11
This verse is so beautiful.
We’ve all heard that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we’re the sheep. If a sheep wanders off, the shepherd goes to look for it. If they harm themselves, the shepherd cares for their wounds. If the sheep have eaten all the grass, the shepherd moves the herd.
Most of us know that sheep aren’t the smartest animals. In fact, sheep really couldn’t survive without a shepherd. The shepherd knows this but chooses to care for and take care of His sheep. But look at this scripture a little deeper.
Not only does the shepherd take care of the sheep and the lambs, but He gently leads those that have young. He gently leads the momma sheep! Not only does He care for the momma herself and the lamb itself, but He cares that she knows how to take care of her lamb!
God equips us to be moms. He leads and guides us to care for our children. No mom is perfect; in fact, I think we can all agree we make mistakes daily. Not only were you chosen to be a mom, but God also handpicked your children. That they needed YOU.
I think this verse embodies the fact that God cares for the sheep and the lambs but also cares for the relationship between the sheep and the lambs. You may not feel strong or equipped, but He is strong, and He will equip you. On the days you feel like you can’t do this any longer, lean into the Good Shepherd. Ask Him for guidance. He WILL give it to you because He cares about BOTH of you.
Prayer
Talk to our Good Shepherd today. In the areas you don’t feel equipped, ask Him to equip you. If you don’t know how you’re going to make it through the day, ask God to give you strength. He will strengthen you and uphold you. Ask Him. You know He won’t let your child down, but He won’t let you down either, Momma. He handpicked YOU to be your child’s mom.
Day 5
Scripture: Proverbs 31:25
You’ve probably heard the term “Proverbs 31 woman,” and we all want to be her. And if you’re a special needs mom, you’ve already cocked your head to the side. “What do you mean she doesn’t fear the future?”
I have two daughters, and they’re both autistic. To say I didn’t fear for their future at all would be a complete lie. I think some of our biggest fears are not knowing what would happen to our children if we died or what is going to happen when they’re fully grown adults and we can’t take care of them anymore. Let’s just be honest.
But can you imagine being fully confident in the Lord that you aren’t afraid at all about your child’s future? Knowing that He has a plan. That His plan is better than our plan could ever be? I think that’s part of what this verse means, that she’s fully confident in our God, because He can, but there’s something else here.
“She laughs without fear of the future.” A lot of us mommas also have anxiety, which can be crippling at times. Anxiety isn’t just worry; it can come in the form of your body never fully relaxing and always feeling on edge because you don’t know the unknown. At least, that’s what my anxiety feels like sometimes.
I can remember a couple of times when I was “anxious” before I had two autistic children; in fact, I didn’t really understand when people said they “had anxiety.” Eye roll. But you know one thing I’ve struggled with while having children with disabilities? Anxiety.
My first panic attack was when I was sitting on my couch. Both my children were asleep, and all was good with the world, except all of a sudden, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I felt hot, and I couldn’t fill up my lungs. It’s like I couldn’t breathe fully, which made me panic more.
This verse doesn’t say this mom had no struggles with anxiety. What it is saying is that she could laugh about the future. To be hopeful for the future. To know that God was in control of it. That God is big enough to calm our anxious thoughts and that we can trust Him with our child’s future.
PRAYER
Just Pour out your heart to the Lord today.
Day 6
Scripture: Psalms 46:1
If you’re anything like me, there’s a phrase that people say to me often. “You’re so strong.” And if you’re anything like me, you have a love/hate relationship with this phrase.
In one way, people are validating me, making me feel seen, and saying they see the strength and wisdom that has come from special needs parenting. But in another way, it’s invalidating me because it’s easy to tell someone they’re strong as if to say they don’t need my help because they’ve got it.
And most days, in fact, probably 9 out of 10 days, I don’t FEEL strong. I feel impatient, frustrated, discouraged, and exhausted in my parenting. But this verse reminds us that God is our strength. It’s not us, it’s Him. HIS strength. And to me, that is SUCH a relief!
He is our refuge, a place to run to when we don’t feel safe or when we’re in trouble. I don’t know if I’m the only parent who’s yelled a little too loud, said the wrong thing, or completely dropped the ball, but in those moments, we need to remember to run to the Father. Our strength and our help. He can give us peace. He can comfort us.
On the days you don’t feel strong, and on the days you do, remember that we don’t have to carry the weight on our shoulders. In fact, you may need to give Him some of that weight today. We are not made to carry it because we aren’t strong enough. But HE is. He is faithful, and we can always depend on Him. This verse says so!
Prayer
“God, thank you. On the days I can’t even find the verbal words to pray, thank you for being my strength. Thank you for allowing me to run to you whenever I need refuge, when I’m afraid, when I’m weak, when I’m frustrated, and when I’m scared. And you never turn me away; You always welcome me with open arms. I fail you daily, but you NEVER fail me or my family. Thank you for your grace and mercy today and every day.”
Day 7
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11
We are almost three years into our oldest daughter’s autism diagnosis journey, and I’ve come a long way since then. If I’m being honest, when we were first noticing signs that she could be autistic, my heart shattered. How could God allow this?
If God was a good God, how could He let anyone suffer? Especially my blue-eyed, curly-haired Opal Grace?
I vividly remember one day, falling to my knees in desperation and with a broken heart, crying out, “God, do you even love me?” I knew God was with me; I knew God was with Opal, but He seemed so far away. Did He just create her and leave her be? Did He forget about her or our family?
This verse clearly states that God plans to prosper us, not harm us. God isn’t out to get you or punish your children for the things you’ve done. He has a plan, and it’s in your child’s best interest. His love for us and our children goes much deeper than creating someone and not having a plan.
Three years ago, I had no idea how God could turn around what seemed like a bad thing for good. But I’m here to tell you that sometimes we don’t know God’s plan, but He has one. We HAVE to trust that He knows best.
I don’t know why some people struggle in ways others don’t, and it doesn’t seem fair. But one thing I do know is that not one life is wasted if God put them on this earth, INCLUDING our kids with disabilities. This world is not our home. One day, there won’t be crying or pain, but for now, there is. And whether that’s fair or not isn’t the question. The question is, how will we be a part of our children’s story to bring hope to them and others? To point others to Jesus? To remind everyone that God IS faithful. That He IS good, despite our child’s circumstances? God will use our children in ways we couldn’t imagine because He has an amazing plan for them. And I can’t wait to watch how He uses all our children for His glory.
PRAYER
Pray for your child’s future today. The good days and the bad days. I pray that God will bless them, give them peace, and guide their steps.