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My Story
I grew up in a Christian home and was told that I came to know the Lord very early in life. We were one of those families that were at church anytime the doors were open. I even attended a daycare that was at the church that we attended, so I knew a lot of Bible stories, how to sing all the hymns and knew what a Christian was supposed to act like from a very early age. But it wasn’t until we begin attending a different church when I was a teenager that I realized something was missing.
You see, I tried to be a good person and do all the right things, but I kept failing. There was a gap between what my head knew and what my heart knew. I knew that Jesus had died for my sins, and I was thankful for that and wanted to live with Him in heaven, but I never truly surrendered my day-to-day life unto Him. As a teen, at this new church, I met women who encouraged me to get up daily and spend time in the Word of God. They talked to Him, like He was their friend, and they even knew the sound of His voice when He was speaking to them! Most of all, they were guided daily by the Holy Spirit.
Finally I realized my need for Jesus Christ to not only save and forgive me, but I needed Him daily to help me live for Him. This new faith made all the difference. I finally surrendered my whole heart to the Lord Jesus and asked Him to truly be Lord of every part of my life.
I am so grateful for those godly women who taught me how to live and walk out my faith as a young teenage girl. Most of all, these women taught me the power of prayer and the importance of continually going before the throne of grace to present my requests to God.
What I Learned
One of the most profound things I learned from these women was to seek the Lord in prayer and read His Word to find the answers. As I learned that the Bible is God's inspired Word—profitable for teaching, correcting, and training us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)—I began looking to Scripture for answers instead of relying on my own understanding.
As I began to pray about specific things, like wisdom, provision, or guidance in the decisions I needed to make, I found that as I opened up the Word to read, the answer was there on the page. Again and again, as I opened God's Word, I found the answers I had been praying about. I wasn't searching for a particular verse or looking up a topic online. Time after time, the Holy Spirit faithfully led me to exactly what I needed.
Over time, I learned to be very specific in what I was asking, knowing that the Lord would answer and show me exactly what I needed. Sometimes His answer was "yes." Sometimes it was "no." Other times He asked me to wait, trust Him, and continue praying.
Another thing I learned was to pray in accordance with the Word of God. We are so lucky to live in a time where we have the complete Word of God at our fingertips. We can know the Lord’s heart on many subjects and our prayers can be in sync with the Lord’s will.
Over the years, I have composed many lists and note cards written with bible verses on different subjects that I can go to when I need them. These cards have become an easy way to line my heart and my prayers up with the will of my Heavenly Father as I present my requests to Him.
What it Looked Like for Our Family
How does all this tie in with being an Autism mom, you might ask? Well, I have many things that I have had to pray for and seek the Lord’s wisdom, guidance, and oftentimes correction on how I am parenting my children with special needs.
Raising eight children—including four on the autism spectrum and several with challenges such as Auditory Processing Disorder, ADHD, and sensory processing differences—has stretched me in ways I never imagined. Trying to meet each child where they are can feel overwhelming. I have learned to really seek the Lord through raising these children with all their various needs, because I cannot do it in my own strength and power. I need the Lord’s help. There are times when I feel completely inadequate or even when I have made things worse for my children by trying to do everything on my own. Anything good that comes through my parenting is because of Christ working through me. His Holy Spirit gives me wisdom, strength, and grace that I simply do not have on my own.
Here is a sample of some of the things I pray about consistently for my children:
wisdom regarding correction, and connecting with each child’s heart
guidance about sensory overload, meltdowns, and shutdowns
wisdom for decisions they make for godly friends, spouses, and future jobs
godly character traits to be developed in each of them
to be men and women after God’s own heart
Encouragement & Practical Tips
What does this look like? Each morning I open up my hands before the Lord and symbolically lay each of my children, my decisions and plans, and my day at Jesus’s feet. I ask Him to guide my time with Him in his Word and if there is anything specific that I need help with, I ask Him.
Then I open the Word and read, keeping my heart and mind open to whatever the Lord puts there. After reading, I journal a bit about whatever I can directly apply to my life from His Word or what He taught me about Himself. Then I spend some time praying over my husband and each of my children. I use Bible Verse cards to help jump start my heart and mind as I lift each of our specific needs.
Sometimes I pray about decisions and challenges, but other times I read verses and pray for godly character traits to be formed in my family. I ask for wisdom and wait for the response. I've often found that after spending time in prayer and quietly waiting before the Lord, He gently brings Scripture, wisdom, or a clear direction to mind through His Holy Spirit. Whatever comes to mind should always be tested against God's Word, because He will never lead us contrary to Scripture.
Here are few tips to get you started:
God’s Word tells us to pray about everything. (Philippians 4:6-7) If it’s important to you, then it is important to God.
Don’t feel like you have to pray for everything, every day. Lift up a few kids today, and the rest tomorrow.
A prayer journal or prayer cards can help you stay on track and keep track of the requests you asked. It is also a great way to go back and reflect on all those answered prayers!
Pray consistently, wait, and pray some more.
There are no “right words”. Just talk to the Lord like you would your friend. The Lord sees your heart.
Final Thoughts
Be encouraged, friend, that we have a God in heaven who knows us, sees us, and wants to guide us as we do what is best for our family. He loves you and your children more than you will ever know, and He sent His son, Jesus, to pay the ultimate price for you and help redeem you back to the Father.
Connect with Him. Talk with Him. Let Him guide your day and your family. You will not be sorry.
Prayer and leaning on Jesus to help me parent my children is by far the single most important thing that has made the biggest difference in our family's life. The Holy Spirit has guided me with wisdom, and I believe that my children have grown the most, not from anything that I have done, but through Christ in me.
Prayer has not made parenting easy. My children still struggle. I still make mistakes. We still face difficult seasons. But prayer has changed me. Instead of carrying every burden alone, I have learned to place those burdens into the hands of the One who loves my children even more than I do. That has made all the difference.
A Simple Place to Begin
If you're like I was years ago, you may wonder, "Where do I even start?" One of the easiest ways I've found to stay focused in prayer is by praying God's Word back to Him.
Over the years, I've written dozens of Bible verses on index cards and organized them by topic. Those simple cards have helped me pray with confidence, remember God's promises, and stay focused as I lift up my husband, my children, and the specific needs in our family.
That's why I created these Morning Prayer Cards for Your Child. They include carefully selected Scriptures to help you pray for the development of a godly character in your child, and you can download them for free to start using right away!
Whether you spend five minutes or thirty, my prayer is that these cards will help you build a daily habit of meeting with the Lord and trusting Him to guide your family—one prayer at a time.
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How a Daily Sensory Diet Reduced Meltdowns in Our Home
When I began noticing patterns behind my sons' meltdowns, everything changed. Read how a daily sensory diet became one of the most effective tools for helping them feel calmer, more regulated, and better able to cope with everyday challenges.
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