Mommy, am I a Special Needs Child?

As we sat in the hotel room on that cold rainy day, spending some time snuggling, Bradley started telling me the story of a child he knows.

"Mommy, I know that ________ is a special needs kid."

"What do you mean? Why do you say he is special needs?" I asked trying to figure out just what Bradley was talking about.

"Well, he just told me one day. He said 'I'm special needs'" replied Bradley.

Wanting to get a better understanding, I asked, "Does he have trouble speaking? Or troubling hearing?"

To which Bradley responded, "No."

"Does he go to see Ms. __________?"

"Yes, he sees her."

There was a few moments of silence, then "Mommy, am I going to be a special needs kid?"

I went on to explain to him, truthfully, that he is/will be a special needs kid, but that in some ways we are all special. I explained to my Boo just how he was considered special needs because I always tell my kids the truth.

I doubt any parent prays to become the parent of a special needs child, whether those special needs are mental, cognitive, physical, or behavioral. For some parents, it turns to a focus on all the "can't"s and for others every small victory is a celebration. Some parents struggle daily with accepting their life and others plan to make the most of their life regardless of what they face.

But I do believe that God is at work when He chooses families who will have a special needs child. Years ago I wrote an entry in my writer's notebook and even wrote a blog about the following scripture:

John 9:1-3 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."

You see, God has a purpose for all the life he creates. And yes, he even purposefully knits together lives that are, by our human standards, imperfect. Lives of those who are considered special needs. He does this because he has a purpose for their life, a purpose that will allow his works to be displayed. We may not know the whys and may have a difficult time accepting that such an awesome God would do something like this on purpose, but he does.

This happens to be the life that God has chosen for us and when you are a parent of a special needs child, then you, in a sense, become special needs as well. Most days I am fine with this kind of life, but I would be lying if I didn't admit there are days that I wish our normal was more like the normal of so many others. There are plenty of nights and mornings that I wish:

• the kids could just skip their shower
• we didn't have to go through a medication routine
• we could just stop anywhere, grab some food, and keep on going
• that I could just buy the cheaper, not so good for you, food in the grocery store
• that we could attend an event (birthday party, movie, etc.) without having to pack our own food.

But, all the wishing in the world doesn't change our life. Thankfully, I can turn to prayer, I can turn to God. And the best news of all, you can turn to God too. No matter the trials of your life, God wants to be there, he wants his children to call on him. Just as mother who all too soon watches her child "need" her less and less rejoices when her child comes running for comfort, for wisdom, for anything at all; our Father in Heaven wants us to do the same. He wants us to run to him to share our joy, to seek comfort, to let Him step in and take care of us.