A Year of Abundance for Special Needs FamiliesSample

Day 4 - Dream Again

Caregiving for a special needs child, or any loved one for that matter, can be unpredictable in its ebbs and flows of events and emotions. You never know when you’re going to have a great season or a disappointing one. It’s good to acknowledge the emotions as they come and not pretend your way through, which will only lead to burnout and unhealthy behavior. But there is a time, just as David talked about, where you are led out of a particularly hard season, and you are able to dream again.

When I found out that my daughter’s disability would require me to quit my job so I could be her full-time caregiver, it felt like a cosmic joke, if I’m being really honest. I was a college graduate, with a gift for public speaking and a passion for writing. I did not understand, and I still grapple with, why God would give me a particular set of passions and desires, if most of my time was to be spent caregiving. I used to think that these things were in competition with one another, but now I know different.

God never wanted me to put my dreams on hold; He wanted me to dream through the unexpected. The nuances of your story are something that only you and your family possess. The diagnosis you’re encountered with does not negate the talents God gave you, it gives them power! When you’ve been locked into caregiving tunnel vision, you realize that the ability to dream is actually a gift. A gift, that I believe, God wants to give you even today.

Begin to ask God what areas of your own passions you’ve neglected. In what measure, or by what method, can you pick up that passion for even five minutes today? What part of your story could actually mix with your talents and bring someone else, hope, life and joy? Pick up the paper, pencil, instrument, sport, hobby, or creation again. Consider this your sign to be a little selfish and dream again, because it may just be someone else’s greatest gift!