There Is a Real Battle Being Warred - Part 1

A few months ago I went to see "War Room" and was reminded that the war we wage is real. It is unseen, like the wind, but ever present while we are here on earth. As I have spent time with Jesus lately, the Lord has brought to mind the Truth that I am not alone in this battle. That I am on the winning team, and just how important it is to pray while on the battle field. 

1 Samuel 17:47 is a great place for us to camp for just a moment. David is on the battle field ready to fight Goliath where he shares this great truth....

All the people gathered here will know that the Lord doesn’t need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to the Lord, and he will help us defeat all of you.

The odds were greatly against David in the physical realm. Goliath was huge, David was small and only had 5 stones. Armor didn't fit, and most probably thought he would be defeated based just on what was seen. But David had a huge God. A God he trusted and placed his hope and faith in. One who had this supernatural story that he wanted David to be a part of. A God who does the miraculous and asks us to partner with him in it. 
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What is your Goliath? Is there an battle in your life that seems hopeless?

Special Needs Child?   Finances?   Children Fighting A LOT?  Marriage Hiccups?  School Struggles?
Friendship Struggles?  Church Struggles?  Doctor Struggles?  Weight of life Struggles?
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The battle belongs to the Lord. Entrust it to Him. Hand it over to him. 

Special Needs Mama's Listen up!

  He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name

-Psalm 23:3 NLT 

Lately I have honed in on this verse. It has resonated with me and touched my heart in a new and vibrant way. I think so often when we hear someone reference the 23rd Psalm we think of it as oh so familiar. But the other day this verse came alive in my life. The way only the Word of God can.

He renews my strength

Lately, I have been physically weak,  from caring for my three kids who have been fighting sickness for almost a month, mentally exhausted as we have tried to keep up with therapy appointments, missing church (getting together with other encouraging families), and  emotionally struggled with my son with Asperger's, who has had extra crazy to display - because we have been way off our normal schedule.

God promises to renew my strength as I take time each day - in quiet time- allowing Him to be my Shepherd. 

Have you felt tired lately? 

Overextended and wanting to give up. 

Take five minutes right now. Stop, pray, breathe, and allow Him to renew you. Each day you must be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit in order to pour out His goodness to your kids. So convicting I know. It is a discipline we must all train ourselves with.

 He guides me along right paths 

As we walk this line of parenting a special needs child, God will direct our paths in ways - He can most be glorified. Causing us to interact, rub shoulders, and love therapists and teachers we wouldn't have otherwise encountered. 

They need to see Jesus. 

God wants to use you. Your child. Your life. 

How you handle the crazy. It is so important to remember HE is the captain of your ship seeking those lighthouses where the light can best be seen. His light shining in the darkness. A child with special needs, a mom who loves Jesus, and a therapist who needs to hear truth weekly lived out in your life.

                                bringing honor to his name 

As we maneuver through this crazy exhausting life - we must remember Christ is our goal. Our heart will be happier. Our mind will be intentional - looking at those therapy sessions as ministry opportunities - instead of a burden to our already overloaded schedule. 

God wants to do great things in the midst of raising a special needs child. Keep your head up. He wants to use you. Many God stories later you will tell - of how HE weaved people into your life where the Gospel was able to be shared. 

Well done good and faithful servant...

                          as you bring honor to his name.

Allowing Others to Help

Sometimes we think we can do it all and forget to ask for help when in over our heads. The last 18 months have been exhausting. Whoever said three kids were easier than two...totally lied. It is definitely harder than I ever expected. No one warned me of the crazy uphill battle I would face. With an infant, special needs son, and my middle child having major meltdowns frequently because he's overlooked many times because of the baby or brother with Aspergers...it can be crazy.

I feel like I have been treading water and barely breathing. When one task ends another begins. Laundry everywhere. School scattered about. And although it reads rather grim, there is an amazing ending to my story...

A few weeks ago, I sat down and shared with my husband that I needed help. I asked him to take off a week of work to help me schedule, organize, and put the pieces together that make up my chaotic but beautiful puzzle I call life. I needed help, but I also needed to humble myself and ask for it.  He agreed and took off a week and it was the most refreshing, encouraging, and amazing experience. Life has changed in the Seawell House. Praise Jesus!

Sometimes pride clouds our view causing us to feel weak if we ask for help. In that, we fail to recognize that the Lord created us with a heart for community. To need each other, and giving us a heart to serve as well. To love and be loved.

...those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. - Proverbs 11:25

So what happened? 

We got organized. Mornings had kids gone with Daddy causing ...Mommy to put things into practice and place that had been left on the sidelines. With Daddy's help, we created an org chart and schedule for our kids. Creating checklist that help me know what needs to be done when. Checklists in our home causes anxiety to cease and transition to go smoother. For everyone! 

First, I had to admit that I needed help. 

Then, ask for it.

Finally, we put our heads together to create & execute a plan to lessen the chaos.

and

It worked! 

It worked!

It worked!

Can you tell how excited I am?

Do you struggle in asking for help? Does pride slow you down in asking? Ask! It will help get you out of the slump you are in! You will be grateful! Two heads are better than one! 

Brush Off & Make a Plan for Next Time

Yesterday was the church picnic immediately following service. We rushed to our car, grabbed our goodies, and made our way to Pavilion #1. Honestly my flesh was tired and worn, exhausted and hot, but I knew it would be refreshing once I got there. Goodness, it was so very hot! Summer is crazy in south Florida!

As I managed with three kiddos to make my way towards the picnic tables, my oldest ran ahead. I was relieved with one less kid and perused slowly with all my garb until I got up there. But I made it. Only a few moments after getting settled, I found that my oldest had released the balloons placed as a reminder for families to know where it was. I continued on and ate my plate full of yummies, trying not to let the flies ruin my time :) 

The food was delish and the fellowship was great. We talked about life and what God was doing in the lives of others. As we got packed up and into our car, my husband approached me and shared that my oldest (struggling again) had thrown in some of the older boy's fishing gear into the pond because they wouldn't include him in their activity.

On my drive home I pondered. It seems like that is a common thread in some of my recent posts. But honestly, that is the time where kids are buckled in, settled down, watching a video, that I can really think about things uninterrupted. Anyways, I digress. But I thought about how my child must look to others. I thought about what kind of parent I am. How I am struggling to make it with my special needs child. I had a choice. I could either wallow in the struggles of the day OR I could make a plan for next month's picnic to make sure the same doesn't happen again. Although I am sure satan doesn't like that at all. He wants me to stay down and despaired - hoping I do less ministry - if my mind is occupied on my "failings" as a mom instead of the things of God.

The balloons and fishing gear are a very typical occurrence with my oldest. Struggles with him are a regular right now, in this season. But he also has really great characteristics as well, that so often get overlooked by his layers of struggles so easily seen. He loves Jesus. He loves to pray. Loves to learn new things and help others. He loves to buy others gifts with money he has earned or been given. But there still are those struggles we need to work on. 

So I have decided that with each struggle that surfaces we will try to find a solution. Weaving those amazing characteristics he has -into those conversations as we strive to find a solution for our weaknesses with others. I am not going to allow satan to win at making me feel defeated. I am going to meditate 
on Philippians 4:8....

and make a plan to succeed through our struggles. Make a list of things that could help my son overcome some of those struggles that seem so constantly to come up in his relationships with other kids. Yesterday wasn't the end. It was just the beginning. The beginning of meditating on truth and speaking it out to my son in love. Making a plan, following it through and seeing fruit in the future.

How are you doing with living out Philippians 4:8 with your kiddos? 

How did this blog speak to you today? What do you think God wants you to do about it?

Super Challenged...Super Encouraged

It comes in waves. There are times my son is especially challenging and then there are those moments the Lord give me glimpses of hope and encouragement as a mom seeing him being a "light." I had an epiphany the other day. As we were at t-ball practice, we saw him succeeding in a sport and feeling great as we cheered him on. It was awesome because, honestly, many days he gets into trouble and that is the memory that remains. I realized that those "challenging children" like my son are in need of tons of encouragement when they DO thrive and do well at something. Where they can feel excited about something they do well.

As a mom, I want to see my child soar and succeed out in the world. My son is only six but our challenges have felt like years more than that. Many days I have felt discouraged with my special needs child. But it is my goal to educated myself, read books, and incorporate my learning into on our family . I recently read, that with our challenges, t-ball is a good sport. It has been great! He loves it! We love it! It is a booster for everyone in our family.

So the other day, my husband took my son out in the front yard to practice hitting and he smacked the ball so hard it went flying into the neighbors yard!! We praised him! He couldn't believe it! He felt success! He was refreshed! My son couldn't wait to tell me of his hit. T-ball is a sport he can cling to and forget the other struggles in his life, momentarily!  It is something we can praise him for and remind him how the Lord has equipped him well to play this sport.

My epiphany was that as I have a challenging child, he is in need of super encouragement even more than the average child. He knows he struggles in life. But it is my duty as a parent to seek out those things he can feel successful at and give him an opportunity to thrive.

Do you have a challenging child?

What sports/activities can you involve him in that may encourage him (and you!)?

Remember to educate yourself with books that may help in the area your child struggles. I have gotten great ideas from others who have gone before me on the path that has challenges daily but...successes too!