For all the parents that have children that require special love and consideration, you are doing good work. God has and will equip you with all you need to navigate every medical appointment, IEP meeting, and delayed milestone. The truth God wants you to hold onto is that while your child may be differently abled, they are no less precious and valuable.
Most of us never anticipated being this kind of parent. We go into parenthood expecting our bundles of joy to be fully functioning and healthy people. Yet, life rarely goes how we hope. Genetics is a gamble, and sometimes, the roll of the dice brings us outstanding humans whose brains or bodies function differently than the majority of their peers of the same age. Others of us join this club because the loss has changed the brains of the children we have chosen to love. Early childhood trauma interferes with the healthy development of a child's brain, making life sometimes harder for those who have experienced heavy things at a young age.
Your burden can feel unseen by those who have not had to walk this path. Others don’t see the many ways you accommodate, plan, prepare, research, wait, pray, hope, learn, teach, and give because you want your kids, no matter their challenges, to be able to experience as much goodness as they can in this world. Quite often, this kind of parenting feels like more than you have the strength for. There are seasons in which it feels like your failures as a parent outnumber your wins. Understanding who your child is and what their brain is experiencing can feel daunting. Grace upon grace is required to be this sort of parent.
As a parent of a child that has challenges to overcome you become a collector of stories. You can tell of sitting in many hospital rooms, meeting with specialists, seeing miracles, also grieving in ways you never knew were possible, juggling therapies, educational challenges, and the list goes on. These stories, while not always easy to share, grow in you a new level of dependence on Jesus because he alone is able to carry you on this path.
Here are some prayers for you, Mom and Da,d as you do the good work of parenting your child with disabilities:
1. A Prayer for Provision
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." - 2 Corinthians 9:8
God
Your grace abounds for all those who know you. Let your grace be sufficient for my family and our unique needs. Let goodness grow from the struggles we are walking through. Let mercy cover our home as we parent through stress and struggles. Provide the support, training, tribe, and time we need to be the parents our kids need. Open doors for opportunities that will enrich my child’s life and give me the help I need as a parent. Provide the knowledge and empathy from others that we need to follow the less traveled path with our child. Give us what we need for this good work.
Amen.
2. A Prayer For Strength
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10
God,
Give us the faith that we need for the journey ahead. Let us not get bogged down in fear of the many unknowns that our family faces, but remain filled with faith, believing that you will uphold us in all that is to come. When the road feels like more than we have strength for, reach out and grab my hand. Hold us up and give us the strength we need. Push back any feelings of discouragement and replace them with an unwavering belief that your goodness will be evident in every part of our journey as parents and will be available to our children as they grow.
Amen.
3. A Prayer of Encouragement
"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." -Galatians 6:9
Father,
We face many days in which we feel weary. All that is before us is more than we can handle on our own! In these weary moments, be with us and give us what we need to press forward. Remind our hearts that it is not time to give up but that we are to press forward in the good work of caring for our children that you have assigned to us. We thank you that this is kingdom work, you care and see the little children, and you love them.
Amen.
4. A Prayer for Miracles
"While you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” - Acts 4:30
Jesus,
We thank you for the precious gift that is our child! We know you have a good plan for them, and we know that they are precious in your sight. Their struggles do not detract from their value but we ask that you would do many miracles for your glory. When they have been told they can't make a way for them to beat the odds. When we hear a negative report from the doctors, we ask that your healing would flip the script. When there is a need that feels impossible to meet, we ask your miraculous provision to abound in our lives. We parent by faith and with faith, believing that you will do many signs and wonders on behalf of our family!
Amen.
5. A Prayer for Supernatural Patience
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant." - 1 Corinthians 13:4
Father,
We thank you for the love you have given us for our kids, but we confess that we are not always patient with them. We need your help to love them with your perfect love. On the hard days remind us that we are not alone in this journey, your helping Holy Spirit is with us to give us what we need to show love in all seasons. Provide the care we need to keep our own nervous system healthy so we can give our kids the positive feedback they need to thrive. Help us to remain curious so we can find the why behind those tougher behaviors. Provide us wisdom and understanding, so we have the skills and tools we need to walk kindly alongside our kids. And when we fail, remind us that your love covers a multitude of sins, all hope is not lost when we don’t do things right. Your grace is enough and we can repent and let go of any shame that comes with the impatience that happens in parenthood. Let us walk in your love each day. Amen.
Remember, loving your family is the most important work you will ever do. It's the place we grow the most as the pressures and struggles are real. We need grace and mercy to follow God’s gentle leading as parents well, especially when navigating the added layers of disability. With Chris,t we can do all things, even this sacrificial work of loving our special kids each day.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Courtney Hale
