The music box

Yesterday my husband sat in my daughter's room watching Jacob. My daughter just got an old music box from her grandma and Jacob is fascinated with it. He was flipping her music box upside down, winding it, and running around in circles while it played. Cret watched Jacob for a long time.  Jakey would listen and know exactly when the music was about to stop and then get really close to the music box, make a funny sound with his lips, and then turn it back over to wind it again. As the music started back up Jacob would look off in the distance with this smile of pure joy and begin running in circles again.  He did this over and over and over. My husband said that it made him tear up a little.  He is not an easy crier. He described this to us and my daughter and I replied, "I do that all the time."

We all watch him as he does these strange things repeatedly and there is something about it that makes us incredibly sad, happy, hopeful, and a little scared all at the same time.

My husband said, "As I sat there I prayed, if it was God's will, one day he will be able to tell us what makes him happy or communicate with us."

I definitely know the feeling. You want your child to be happy and you want them to be able to care for themselves and protect themselves and communicate. It is a heartbreaking thing to see your child suffer or see them have difficulty in life that is unexplained. You feel powerless knowing that there is very little you can do to help them.

It made me wonder how people do this without Christ in their lives. I simply cannot imagine going through this journey without having a relationship with Jesus with whom my hope comes from.

It's not a hope for Jacob to speak or to get better. It's not a hope that relies on my circumstance. In fact, that's the wonderful thing about having Jesus as Lord of your life.  Regardless of bad circumstances, God is faithful and gives His children grace. He isn't a magic genie waiting to grant your wishes or desires, but in HIs loving kindness transforms your heart once you place your faith in Him and that heart change also changes your desires to that of wanting God's will to be done and God to receive all the glory, no matter what that means.  I have faith that God has a perfect plan and that plan is bigger than us.  That is how our family remains joyful in the Lord even in hard times. Having a personal relationship with the Lord gives us the strength to go on, God gives us peace that surpasses understanding. I want that for everyone going through this autism journey.  I want you to see the hope that comes through placing your faith and trust in Jesus.

 

Romans 5:2-5

² Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

 

The Bible tells me that Jacob is made in the image of God. He has a soul and he is made to give God glory.

 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27  So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

  male and female he created them.-Genesis 1:26-27

 

The Bible also tells me that God is trustworthy. I do not need to be angry about Jacob's situation or fearful for his future or feel like I am the only one who can care for him.

 

 

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? -Romans 8:32

 

 

³² “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. -Luke 12:32

 

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. -2 Corinthians 12:9

 

I truly believe that God can work in the life of your child with autism and through their lives for you in ways that can bring God glory if you embrace your situation and trust God in it. He may not work in the way we want, but He can do great things for His kingdom through any situation.

 

 Romans 8:28English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,^[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.

God is perfect. The Bible calls this holy. God created man and desired to be in relationship with man, but also gave us free will.

With the choice, we have all decided to sin against God. I have lied, you have lied, I have stolen, you have stolen. Even one sin makes us guilty of being sinners against God. But God still desires to be in relationship with us.
Romans 3:23
²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

But God is Holy and sinners cannot be in heaven with him or in right relationship with him, our sinfulness separates us from God for all of eternity. God says that the punishment of sin is death  (separation from God for all of eternity). But God still desires a right relationship with us here on earth and in heaven.
Romans 6:23
²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But the Bible says God does not just leave us there. God sent a way of redemption for us.  God sent His son, Jesus, to us to live a perfect (sinless) life and to die on the cross for all man's sins and then to rise again on the third day, conquering sin and death forever.
Romans 5:8
⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Bible says that all who believe this and call on Jesus to be the Lord over there life and live in their hearts will be saved and reconciled with the Father. You can live in right relationship with God if you choose to turn away from sin and accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life. Living in right relationship with God has been the only joy for me in troubled times. God provides me with help in parenting and difficult times and joy and hope in all times.
 

 Romans 10:9-10
⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

 

If you understand your need for a savior and want to be in right relationship with God and reconciled to God you can place your faith and trust in Jesus right now, as you are.  You don't have to do anything or be good enough, all you have to do is surrender and ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life.   If you have any questions about Jesus or salvation please feel free to contact me if you want at allisonhill4jesus@yahoo.com and I would be happy to discuss how Jesus has saved my life and how you can come to know Jesus. I would also love to know if you have made the decision to surrender your life to the Lord. My prayer is that you can know a peace that surpasses all understanding no matter what you are going through right now.

 

 Philippians 4:4-9English Standard Version (ESV)
⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹ What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.