Oh y’all… This one is so good!! I cried a little during our conversation. I know that probably comes as no surprise to you. This is a HOLY conversation about parenting a child with special needs. I am speaking with my friend, Carrie Strachan. She has four beautiful children and her son Matthew has Down Syndrome. He is 20 years old now. This will bless you if you have a child with special needs no doubt but also if you don’t. Because Carrie is a blessing. She is wise and kind and thoughtful. She is my friend through Holy Yoga and I was mentioning to another friend from Holy Yoga that we were recording a podcast and that friend said, “Don’t you love her? Don’t you just want to crawl up on the couch with her and have her talk to you and make you feel like everything is going to be alright?” Uh…yes. So consider yourself curled up on the couch with us, listening and sharing and drinking coffee and feeling less alone. That’s my hope…that you will feel a part of this conversation among friends.
Moms…we see you…we feel you. When we talk about living out a greater calling on your life, there is no greater calling than that of being a mom. I know some days it really feels like drudgery. I can’t tell you how often I think, “Why do these people need to eat again?” My mom gave me a magnet once that says, “Who are these people and why are they calling me mom?” Honestly, it’s just so ordinary and routine and downright boring at times.
But God. He is so in this. And if you let Him in, the results, the outcome of all your years of hard work…the kids grown…you grown…your marriage grown…it’s just downright spectacular. Amazing.
This motherhood thing never ends, it doesn’t matter how old your kids are. In addition to parenting, we are usually trying to figure out all the other tough stuff including marriage, career, and faith life. Or if you are like me you might still be trying to figure out how to do laundry well and what’s for dinner. Half the time we are just wondering, “Is everyone going to turn out alright? Am I even all right? Who put me in charge?”
I’ve heard it said that our kids pick us. I don’t think that necessarily but I do trust that God picks us. He specifically gives us the children who need us and who we need. Our children force us to lean into God because we don’t have all the answers. And there He is. Loving us. Transforming us.
He loves our children more than we do. They were His first. He knows every hair on their head and He calls them good. Every single unique child, born to change the world. Isn’t it miraculous?
I’m grateful for this conversation. I hope you will listen in and be encouraged!
Happy Valentine’s day!