The Silver Lining

We hear Special Needs, and we think hard. We think stares. We think sacrifice. Hurts.

And it is. It’s all that. Sometimes. But sometimes it is Good. Sometimes it is peace poured into our hearts by God. It is patience, applied like oil to the workings of our day. The balm of healing after thoughtless words tear open a barely scabbed-over wound.

It is trust. Trust in the Great Physician and trust in His touch. Trust that He will provide. That He will prepare our hearts for little miracles sprinkled on our path.

It is love.

This love is what carries us through, what opens new vistas after our door slams shut. The door we were ready to step through.

And it’s okay. It is. Because we see the innocence behind the special needs, and rejoice. We see the vulnerability and tremble. Who are we, that God has entrusted us with one of these little souls?

We tremble, but praise God for leading us in this journey.

We shed tears of sorrow for what will never be. We shed tears of fear for what we do not know. But mostly, the tears we shed are joyful — for what we have learned from our special little boy.

We are learning how to let go. How to place our worries and fears in Jesus’ hands. And always, always, how to love.