God’s gifts, but mankind’s choices.
As I look through things that I have gone through in my life, I see how God was in every part. I see how he worked on forming and molding me, even though I had no clue at the time. Even after having children, as I saw the challenges that they faced, part of me craved for respite; part of me did what needed to be done. He was still molding me.
As they got older and I became more involved in church, it started to form. Through elementary, I stayed focus on what was already formed. I didn’t rock the boat. My oldest had received his first diagnosis in 1st Grade; the next diagnosis in 3rd. My youngest received his diagnosis much later and after a lengthy struggle to find the right doctor who could see what was there. After a 5 year and 3 evaluation struggle, my youngest received his diagnosis in the middle of 7th Grade.
By this point, the Youth Pastor was really encouraging me to spread my wings more and move over to the Jr/Sr Ministry. I had been with the elementary age for over 5 years and he had seen me spread my wings there. We talked, prayed, and decided I would take the summer to pray over it. I wanted to make sure I was making the move because God wanted me to make the move……not because I wanted to. I knew if the decision was right what direction I wanted to go…..but I also wanted to make sure that God wanted me there.
Summer came to an end; so did my prayer time. Meeting time was upon us and my decision was made. Yes I would but on the basis that I would lead a Special Needs D-Group, Discipleship Group. It started on Sunday evenings only. Grew to Wednesday evenings a year later. Not long after that, Sunday mornings as well. That was approx. 2009.
Changes in leadership…closer to home or farther up. Changes in volunteers. Who stays, who goes. All these are natural….a part of church life. What you don’t expect….what you hope you wouldn’t have to see….are the lost chances that are created by lack of information/knowledge/empathy.
The push for “inclusion”, for “unity” has become so great (and don’t get me wrong, it IS a great idea and LONG overdue)…….but when the push becomes so great that the individual and/or the individual’s needs have been forgotten or pushed aside…..then something needs to be re-examined. When that push becomes so hard that it becomes a “lost chance”……then something is wrong.
I am not judging; that is not my intent. I am saying that I feel re-examination needs to occur. Who knows….maybe at this point, the re-examination needs to be within me. Where does God want me to be? …………………………………………..
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