My regular readers will know that I am a
HUGE fan of the Christian band,
Casting Crowns. I have chosen their song,
Voice of Truth, as the anthem for my journey on this puzzling road. In particular, the chorus of the song:
"But the giant's calling out my name and then laughs at me, reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed.
The giant keeps on telling me time and time again:
'You'll never win! You'll NEVER win!'
But the voice of Truth tells me a different story. The voice of Truth says, 'Do NOT be afraid!'
And the voice of Truth says, 'This is for MY glory!'
Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of Truth."
Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns
IF I'd listened to the "giants," the doctors, specialists and educators with their contradictions and negativity:
1. "You CAN'T have a child naturally"
2. "NO home daycare provider will EVER take him and his 'entourage' of therapists"
3. "He has severe autistic disorder and he is intellectually delayed. You've WASTED six crucial months doing Floortime when he will ONLY PROGRESS in a specialized substantially separate program with 25 to 40 hours of intense ABA and discrete trial training. He can't go to public school."
4. "He DOESN'T NEED a full-day preschool program. Two hours three mornings a week will meet his needs."
5. "He DOESN'T BELONG in an integrated preschool class. He takes up too much teacher time and needs to be in a substantially separate class."
6. "We've tried EVERYTHING and NOTHING works for improving his behavior."
7. "He is the HARDEST kid I've ever taught."
8. "He's TOO YOUNG for medication."
9. "You're letting your own PERCEPTIONS keep him from getting what he REALLY needs."
10. "He WON'T MAKE IT in a regular ed kindergarten class"
Those are just the top ten... in chronological order... NOT order of importance!
But I CHOSE NOT to listen to the contradictions and the negativity. I CHOSE to listen to the voice of Truth and every situation DID turn out for the GLORY of God. Even when ALL the voices kept dragging me down; when even the people closest to me doubted, my trust was in the Lord with ALL my heart (
Prov. 3:5-6). I had FAITH in what I hoped for, even when I couldn't see it (
Hebrews 11:1).
You see:
1. We DID have a biological child without needing fertility treatments.
2. We DID find the most WONDERFUL daycare provider, who LOVED our little man and opened her doors, her arms and her heart to our beautiful son and, not his 'entourage,' but the wonderful team of folks who could help her help him!
3. His academic skills are BEYOND grade level and he has somehow
taught himself to read WITHOUT ABA or discrete trial training.
4. He is talking like a parrot, improving his speech sounds and LOVES being with other children.
5. He's been accepted into one of the BEST school systems in the area and will be starting regular ed kindergarten this September.
6. His new teachers see him as an important member of the group. They know how to build on his interests, strengths and innate curiosity to manage his behaviors.
7. His new teachers ENJOY having him in their class and recognize him as an ASSET, not a burden.
8. We DID find medical interventions/help that have allowed him to better control his behavior and be more "available for learning."
9. MY PERCEPTIONS were that my son would SUCCEED, NOT that he would FAIL.
10. He WILL make it in a regular education kindergarten class. He WILL NEED HELP and certainly can't do it on his own, but HE WILL MAKE IT!
God IS true to His promises, but we have to trust in Him and walk by faith. Most importantly, we HAVE to give HIM the GLORY for each accomplishment along the way. We MUST TRUST that even when things look the darkest and the scariest, the Lord will be glorified and in the end we WILL SEE how everything worked out for the BEST.
I saw this picture on Facebook. It was posted by the
National Autism Association. It sums up everything in just three lines:
I pray that you, too, will choose to listen to the voice of Truth!
Blessings!
DC
