Chapter
3 - Give Thanks for the Little Things
“Thank you, Jesus, for my day, and thank
you, Lord, for letting me play. Thank you for my family, and thank you, God,
for making me. Amen.”
Children,
especially those with Autism, learn through repetition. We said this little
prayer at bedtime with Sheldon for over two years. One day I decided to leave
the end of each line open, just to see if he would insert something that he was
thankful for on his own. The following
is the prayer that transpired. The words in caps are Sheldon’s. “Thank you, Jesus, for BUBBLES, and thank
you, Lord, for BUBBLES. Thank you for my BUBBLES, and thank you, God, for
making BUBBLES! AMEN!”
It’s
been quite some time since I laughed as hard as I did that evening! I snuggled
him close and struggled to hold back giggles as he fell asleep in my arms. As I
laid there holding my little man, I began to truly appreciate that simple
little prayer. What a grateful little heart he had! In that moment I realized
that there was far more to my little guy than meets the eye. There was far more
to Autism than just its challenges. It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe,
if I took the time to look at life from his perspective, my faith just might be
radically changed forever. And it was.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17) When we become Christians, we become new creatures. The
Bible even refers to the transformation as being “born again” (John 3:3). After
we are born into Christ, we go through stages of development, just as a person
does. “For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of
righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of
full age…” (Hebrews 5:14-15a).
I,
like many Christians, was in a rut. Life had become very routine and stagnant,
and although I prayed and studied God’s word on a daily basis, I felt like I
was just stuck. I longed for a spiritual transformation that would mature me as
a Christian. My heart yearned to make connections with God again. As I held my
sleeping son, the difference in our chronological ages was very apparent. The
only way to become an adult physically is through the passing of time. So how
does one become “of full age” spiritually?
I
thought back to the verse in I Corinthians. The only way to become a new
creature was through Christ. Not only do we need to be in the presence of
Christ to become a Christian, but we need to be in the presence of Christ to
grow and mature as a Christian. Despite spending time in prayer and studying
the Bible, I still felt like I wasn’t quite connecting with God. As I laid
there holding my child, I began praying in earnest that God would show me how
to enter into the fullness of His presence. Tears flowed down my face as I
prayed for God to transform my life.
While
I prayed, all I could think about was Sheldon’s silly little prayer. At first I
was irritated because I felt the little prayer was distracting me from
concentrating on God, but then I realized that Sheldon’s little prayer held the
key to a radical change in my Christian walk. It held the key to entering into
the presence of God
After I left Sheldon’s room, I grabbed
the camera and found this picture. These bubbles are beautiful, after all! Of
course he would thank God for them. They bring him great joy, and he
appreciated how watching bubbles made him feel.
Notice
the angle of the photograph above. It was taken sideways. I began to think
again about how different the perspective of Sheldon’s sweet little prayer was
from the prayers I usually prayed. You see, my prayers were routine thank-yous
followed by a laundry list of situations I was facing and how I felt God should
address them. Sheldon’s prayer was a simple, heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving
for something he truly appreciated. Sheldon didn’t pray to ask of God, he prayed to give to
God, and that thankful heart was the key to entering into the presence of God.
Psalms
100:4 says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with
praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” I’ve sung the chorus based
on this verse at least a hundred times, but it wasn’t until I heard a sweet
little prayer of thanks for bubbles, that it really began to take meaning in my
life. If I wanted to be drawn into the presence of God, I needed to start just
like Sheldon, by offering Him a heart that was overflowing with thanksgiving
and praise.
The Circle of
Thanksgiving
“Give
thanks always for all things unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20) I must admit that for a long time, I really struggled
with this. Unfortunately some of the more unpleasant behaviors that can
accompany Autism like screaming, significant difficulties in communication, and
the physical movements such as hitting that accompany meltdowns, are a regular
occurrence in our home. I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that the constant
barrage of those behaviors brings about a great deal of stress in my life. I
don’t know how many times I prayed that God would take us all out of the
situation we were in. I’d read this verse and think, “You’re kidding, right?”
Seriously, it’s incredibly difficult to give thanks and praise while you are
constantly dodging a well-placed right hook!
Then
I thought again to that simple little prayer of thanksgiving for bubbles. If my
baby could thank God in spite of all the challenges he faced, then so could I!
I asked God to help me be able to give Him sincere thanksgiving and praise
despite the stresses of life, and I began to see the small victories that a
child with Autism (and any child for that matter) has that provide a daily
reminder of God’s love and faithfulness.
It
began with a blade of grass. I actually cried the first time Sheldon touched
that single blade of grass. Up to that point He would scream any time you tried
to put him in it. How could I not thank God for that huge victory in Sheldon’s
life? A short time later I actually caught him rolling in it. I was so excited
I called the entire family to share my joy. I began to realize that things I
often took for granted were cause for great rejoicing!
I
began looking for these little moments everywhere. Sheldon touched a toothbrush.
Thank you, Jesus! Sheldon played with another little boy at church. Thank you,
Jesus! Did I just hear two new words in one day? Thank you, Jesus! Sheldon let
me put soap on his hand, and then he actually washed his own tummy. Thank you,
Jesus! He just said, “I wuv ooo!” That’s three words at a time! Thank you,
Jesus! Is he singing along with the praise and worship music that is on the
movie he’s watching? Hallelujah! Thank
you, Jesus!
I
was stunned to see this picture on his camera! It’s not surprising to me that
Sheldon would play the piano. It’s not surprising that he would take a picture
of himself playing the piano. He loves to see the keys moving up and down, and
he likes to watch the lights on the screen as they change with each note you
hit. What was stunning about this picture is that this keyboard is covered in
dust! We hadn’t played it for a while, and it was downright dirty. I couldn’t
believe it! Sheldon was touching these dust-covered keys! Grainy textures like
those of dust, hair, and sand had always bothered him, so I was surprised to
see these little fingers playing in it! Praise Jesus! It’s another small
victory!
I
began to see a change in my life. As my heart filled with thanksgiving, I
couldn’t help but praise God for all of the blessings I began to see around me.
I felt closer to God than I had in quite some time. You see, as thanksgiving
and praise began to fill my soul, I could move from the gates and courts of God’s
presence into the Holy of Holies. Psalms 100 makes reference to a temple, which
was the center of life in the Jewish community in those days. The gates and
courtyards were the common areas, where people would conduct business, mill
about, and fellowship. But the real action happened inside, in the Holy of
Holies. You had to go through the gates and courtyards to enter into the
presence of God. Even then, only the most clean and pure of men could survive
God’s presence. They even tied a rope around a priest’s ankle so that he could
be pulled out of the Holy of Holies should some spot or blemish be found in
him. (Wow, aren’t you so thankful that Jesus’ death tore the veil separating us
from God’s presence? Could you imagine the amount of rope that this world would
need?
Although
Jesus’ blood provided access for all men to draw near to God, it still makes
sense that we would need to go through the gates and courts to enter God’s
presence. By living a life of thanksgiving and praise, we are turning our focus
toward God. We are turning our hearts toward God. We are showing God that we
aren’t just there for one-way conversation, but we are truly seeking an
experience with Him on His terms and not ours. And God won’t disappoint you.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall
be opened for you.” (Matthew 7:7) Imagine how much more we could experience God
if we came to Him for the sole purpose of drawing near to Him without our own
agenda. Imagine how deep our relationship with God would grow if it was planted
with the seeds of praise and thanksgiving!
I
began to experience that closeness that I had been longing for in my Christian
life. The more I praised and offered thanks to God, the closer I drew to Him. I
also began noticing another significant change taking place. Our situation
didn’t change – Sheldon still faced the challenges that he faced, and God
didn’t answer my prayers to change our situation. Instead, He began to change me. My lens began
tilting sideways. I began to view those challenges as opportunities instead of
as a constant source of stress. Living a life of thanksgiving drew me closer to
God, and He gave my perspective a complete overhaul. Wouldn’t you know I just couldn’t keep myself
from praising Him even more!
I
call it the circle of thanksgiving and it looks something like this: (Imagine arrows connecting these clockwise...Blogger wouldn't let me add them!)
Thanksgiving/Prayer
Changes Our Perspective Opens Our Eyes to God's Work
Brings Us Closer to God
|
|
Oh,
how I pray that I don’t let this circle be broken again! Who knew that one
honest little prayer offered up by one honest little boy could change my entire
perspective on my relationship with God? Praise, Jesus! (See, I just can’t help
myself!)
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