Last night I had the opportunity to speak with a group of parents of special needs children. I was able to share one of my favorite talks, “I Didn’t Sign Up for This: Hope for Parents of Special Needs Kids.”
These brave parents have my heart. After parenting many medically and emotionally fragile foster children over the years, and today parenting our children with their variety of needs, I can relate. Each situation is unique, but we share common feelings.
Yet hearing these parents share their very real and tough stories about the day after day struggles of medications, tests, fear of the unknown, what-ifs, surgeries, and more, a part of me asked, “What do I have to offer them?” While our family has dealt with many of these types of issues, our family doesn’t struggle as some of these families have struggled.
Then I got up this morning. Oh yeah — getting my kids ready for school was all the reminder I needed of the challenges I face every day.
At our house now we face a different kind of hard, but hard is hard is hard. There is no comparison of grief or tragedy. When you are the one going through it, it’s all equally difficult. You will always find someone whose situation is one you could categorize as worse than yours, and someone you could place as having it easier than you. That doesn’t matter either. When your life was easier, you didn’t think so at the time.
Hard is hard is hard. There is no comparison of grief or tragedy.
Let’s drop the comparisons. Hear what God says,
even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.Isaiah 46:4
How does this verse give you hope today?
I’m glad you can make the distinction that there is no distinction in these things. This was a heartfelt word and I’m thankful that you shared this with the Grace & Truth link-up!
Everyday we must remember to voluntarily climb into his arms, like a child saying Hold me Daddy. That’s how Our Lord carries us. The question is do we go willingly or do we struggle against his embrace.
We are just so blessed to have a God who remains faithful, even when we are not. Hard is hard is hard indeed. But our faith makes life a bit easier.
Thanks for sharing this truth to us, Sara. 🙂
God has carried me and walked beside me for almost 64 years…I have not always been his faithful child; but I have always known He is my faithful God. I have not always thanked Him when in the hard times; but He has always been there.
Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful, Barbara. Thank you for sharing about how God has continued to be faithful. That’s a wonderful reminder for me today.