My Child’s Different: Support for the Ups & DownsSample

Continuation of yesterday’s devotional from Heather Brower

Raising a Christ Follower (Part 2)

Yesterday, we tried to answer some of the big-picture questions we may have about raising a Christ follower who happens to have a disability, special needs, or who’s different. Now, let’s talk about five fun ways we can teach our children with special needs about Jesus, no matter their age or ability level!

1. Be a role model. I asked my friend Alice—who we heard from earlier on Day 4—how she passes her faith along to her son, and this is what she said: “I see my faith as my identity, a part of who I am and not an item on my to-do list. I am a follower of Christ. It is the air I breathe, the food I eat, and the rest I seek. I make it a regular, natural and normal part of my day. When I see God work, whether in nature, in the lives of people or in circumstances, I try to make a point to share those observations. Every day I have some discussion about God … If you look for God, you will always find Him. I try to make this a normal part of our family’s life—to find God in the ordinary and share it.”

2. Pray together. Prayer is real. It may be the most real thing we parents ever do for our children’s spiritual health. When you pray out loud, your child may join you in their heart. You may never know the impact your prayers have made on your child this side of heaven. If your child can repeat words after you, let them repeat prayers. If they can communicate with you, ask them what they want to talk to God about. Then, you can talk to God about that together. Prayer is bonding, not just between God and mankind, but also between parent and child.

3. Integrate God into your daily routines. When you’re on your way to therapy, ask God to give your child’s therapists wisdom to understand what will help support your child. When you’re not sure how to handle a difficult diagnosis, your first line of defense can be asking God for wisdom on what your next steps should be. When you’re helping your child get dressed, you can thank God out loud for creating their body and for giving you clothes to wear. When you’re teaching a new routine, you can talk to your child about how God created the whole world to work in order, just like how our new toothbrushing schedule will keep our teeth in order! 

4. Find curriculum that works for your child. Do you know what your teen would enjoy watching to learn about God and godliness? It surely doesn’t have to be the same thing their typically developing peers would enjoy! There is a ton of free content you can find at www.life.church/kids for your family. I know a group of teens who are currently meeting on Wednesday nights. Each of the teens has a developmental disability. They’re currently using the Early Childhood curriculum from LifeKids and are loving it! They’re learning Scripture and are able to quote what they’ve learned to their families and at their schools. All of the videos and music are available online for you to watch at home. 

5. Make it musical. One of my family’s favorite ways to experience joy in our walk with God is through music. My son’s first conversation with me (besides just repeating back whatever I just said to him) was when he quoted lyrics to a song he had learned at church. Music affects us in profound and positive ways. Is your child having a bad day? Try playing some worship music and watch the mood in your home lift a bit. 

We can lead by example. We can love our children. We can give them an environment where Jesus is a part of the daily vernacular. We can pray. We can extend grace to ourselves when we’re weary and don’t get a single parenting thing right for a whole month! And—best of all—we can watch as God reveals Himself to ourselves and our children in ways we may never have expected.

Journal: Do you and your family do any of these five things? Can you start? Are there any other ways you model Jesus to your family?