A prayer for parents of kids with special needs
"May we live life not by our fears, but by our hopes."
I read those words in a prayer book recently, and for the rest of the service I could think of nothing else. This, to me, is a perfect prayer for those of us raising kids with special needs.
I don't pray a whole lot but over the years, I've asked God to help Max along: Let him walk, let him talk, let him be cognitively OK, let other kids treat him well and not be mean, let the seizures stay away. I don't have anything specific I say; usually, I just slip words into services or think them at night, when I'm lying in bed.
I was never one to ask God for much; mostly, I'd ask that my family stay healthy and safe. Then Max came along, and praying took on a new intensity.
At services, I realized: I have never once prayed to God to help me.
I have added this one to my prayers.
Image: Flickr/Sid Turner