God has a unique and marvelous purpose for your child with autism, and a purpose no less than that of any neurotypical child. Read the book that explores scriptural promises that enables our children to soar above life’s challenges and discover the purpose that God intended for our children.
This book shares God’s blueprint for children to lead lives full of joy and potential despite autism. It’s the story of God reaching down into the darkness of our lowest moment and pulling us back into the light of His love to soar again.
Autism’s Hidden Blessings (Kregel Publications) will forever change your family walk with autism, allowing you to see your child not through the haze of autism, but through the eyes of an Almighty God Who has provided powerful promises to teach your family to soar above it to an adventurous life of joy and potential.
See this video for more information about why this book is different:
What people are saying about the book:
Kelly Langston offers a lifeline of faith to every parent who has ever wanted to drop down on the floor and throw a tantrum with a distraught autistic child. There is hope. There is help. There is a light at the end of the dark tunnel you are in right now. With compassion and wisdom, Kelly leads the reader through her family’s journey to help Alex. I highly recommend this book to every parent dealing with the confusing maze and emotions of autism.
Glynnis Whitwer, author of work@home, and When Your Child is Hurting.
“What a beautiful encounter. I am filled with tears of joy right now…and I have needed them so badly. I am wracked with fear that my little Nathan will not understand the things of God. Will he ever understand what Jesus did for him???? God is so much bigger than autism. His ways are so above anything. God Bless you!!!!!” (from Deanne)
“Sometimes, we don’understand why things keep crashing and spiraling downwards, but I believe, that’s God’s way of turning our faces unto Him so that we may focus on Him completely, and so that when He has His divine touch on Alec, we KNOW it has to be God”. (from Jan)
“I found your website from NBC and it is wonderful. My son Tristan, now six, was diagnosed four years ago. I admire your dedication, determination and positive perspective in helping your son and other families”. (from Cyndi)
For more information and additional testimonials, and to find out where to purchase this book, see:
Ever feel like giving up? Have you ever wanted to throw in the towel? Most of us have. I know I have…even today. Today’s promise gives us a reason to keep going, and promises a harvest … at just the right time … if we don’t.
This year, I will be starting a series of short videos focusing on the promises of God. I am a strong believer in promised-based living. Each of these short video posts will feature a single promise. I will also be posting scriptures with discussion on why we can trust the Promise Maker.
So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.
So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith..
And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.
So then, as occasion and opportunity open up to us, let us do good [morally] to all people [not onlybeing useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith [those who belong to God's family with you, the believers].
“We are all very apt to tire in duty, particularly in doing good. This we should carefully watch and guard against. Only to perseverance in well-doing is the reward promised. Here is an exhortation to all to do good in their places. We should take care to do good in our life-time, and make this the business of our lives. Especially when fresh occasions offer, and as far as our power reaches.”
Conditions:
The “proper time” may be in this world…or the next. The condition of a harvest is that we do not give up.
When I attended my first Autism Research Institute conference, my head literally ached from multiple hours of presentation after presentation of autism-related microbiology, enzymatic therapies, cellular functions and molecular gut distress. If you are a parent trying to understand the science behind what is going on with your child, you know what I mean! Autism parents attending these conferences get a quick induction into molecular biology.
God as Designer on a Molecular Level:
I remember looking at vivid slides of cells, proteins and molecules in a presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Mumper that were so strangely beautiful. Sitting there, I could scarcely breathe as the as I took in those images. They seemed …so…divine.
Human Neural Stem Cells
Credit: Corey Seehus, BrainCells Inc., USA
These cells are so small that a subcellular imaging system is necessary to capture their beauty. Who can create such a complex, intricate beauty on such a infinitely small scale? GOD CAN.
God as Designer of the Universe:
The Crab Nebula
Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll
(Arizona State University)
The above picture of the Crab Nebula was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. Located at a distance of about 6,500 light-years from Earth, the nebula has a diameter of 11 light years. (A light year is equal to just under 10 trillion kilometers.) It expands at a rate of about 1,500 kilometers per second.
Do you see what I see?
He’s the Designer of All Things: Big and Small!
It is hard for my mind to grasp just how incredible God is. God’s handiwork extends throughout the vastness of universe. And yet, He is present in the minuscule details on levels that we cannot even see or begin to fathom. My expectation is that just as God has designed the immenseness of the universe, He is also the artist of infinitely small details. Mankind will never be able to fully comprehend just how great God is!
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour out speech;
night after night they communicate knowledge.
Does the Bible have anything to say about autism? Have you ever wondered if God cares about it? In this two part video, I share a little-known Bible story with fascinating details that will be extremely familiar to people who love someone with autism. This Bible story changed my life. Listen in, and please share it with anyone you know who cares for someone on the autism spectrum:
Wonderful story of divine intervention to find missing girl, Nadia Bloom. Miss Bloom has Asperger’s, a mild form of autism. This Today Show interview is a must see!
Kathleen’s new book is a series of vignettes from her life with her autistic son Joel. Don’t expect a sugar-coated view of life with a special needs child. Her experiences are painfully familiar, as she describes in each chapter a daily hurdle in mothering her son Joel. Her frustrations are written in beautiful prose, creating a strange mix of beauty and pain.
Mothers of special needs children will find Kathleen’s struggles familiar: quiet holiday church services loudly narrated by a boy who can’t be still, the daily phone calls to pick up her son, the need for “me” time, and the feelings of not being or doing enough for her family.
But here is the part about the book that I most enjoyed:
As Kathleen so perfectly describes her frustration and pain in different situations, and as she surrenders her situation to God, it is almost as if her eyes are opened to a new understanding. As she turns to God for spiritual support, He opens her eyes and she suddenly sees each challenge in a new light: God’s light. In that instant, the day’s challenges produce wonderful blessings: understanding, patience, love, appreciation of beauty, and quiet joy. Only God can do that.
I was encouraged as I read this transformation of perspective so beautifully recorded in each chapter. This books shows that the most difficult of days offer special blessings. In Joel, we find hope, meaning, and a spirit that cannot be crushed. In Joel, we find God’s child. In Kathleen, we find a strength that is beyond human ability. This kind of strength to endure is only found when we surrender ourselves- whatever the challenge- to God.
God has a heart for families living with autism. This book provides a glimpse of the precious love God holds for children with special needs, and for those who care for them.
What is the single most passionate prayer that you have for your child? Do you pray for your child’s acceptance? For finances and provisions to care for him or her? For better education? For friends?
I know that God’s heart is full of compassion for families living with autism. Even though the road is hard at times, His love is able to reach each and every child. I know that He hears every prayer.
Would you lift up your most heartfelt prayer for your child with me? Post them at:
Paula Wiseman and Andrea Moriarty are teaching me a thing or two about authentic Christian living! They’ve been writing about how their faith plays out each typical day, giving readers an inside look at real Christianity. Each day as I have read their posts, I have learned something new.
Today Andrea posted a clip from Mary Poppins. I hope she doesn’t mind, but I going to pick up on that theme and include my favorite clip from this movie, one that reminds me of the contrast between worldly living and Christian living. Here, executive and father Banks has just been fired from his banking job and is bemoaning the loss of his dream:
So, what does this have to do with authentic Christianity? Let me explain: Authentic Christianity means living in an upside down world. Things that seem important in the typical world are usually the least important things by Christian standards. For example, power, prestige and money mean little when compared to showing compassion and love to those in our circles. Christian economics is based on a heavenly exchange rate, one the world simply does not understand.
But here is where things get tricky for me as I live out my faith: I can’t shut out the world. The pressure to succeed and get ahead is preached at me every day through commercials, magazine articles, on billboards and in all of the over-the-fence conversations with the Jones’, you know, that family down the street that I can never quite keep up with. So it is often a daily struggle to keep my priorities in check:
For all the pagan world is [greedily] seeking these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Only aim at and strive for and seek His kingdom, and all these things shall be supplied to you also. Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!
Luke 12:30-32 (Amplified Bible)
Almost every day I wonder if I am doing all that I could be doing. I wonder if I am missing opportunities because I choose to work out of my home as a part-time consultant (rather than work full time) so I can be here to help Elise and Alec with their homework after school. We have financially struggled so much this year that I have nearly thrown in the towel and sought full-time work. I have questioned myself and my motives. But all the while I know that God has me right where He wants me: here at home. Working part-time may not be your God-given calling, but it is mine.
Authentic Christian living is upside down living:
“But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.”
Luke 22:26 (New Living Translation)
That kind of living makes no sense to the world. It’s crazy living. Radical living. But living this way brings the divine into life. It’s like God miraculously squeezes more life into each day. By living this way, Christians find joy that is often missed by others, as God makes sure that we don’t miss out on the sweetest moments of life. Our friend Burt (in the clip above) knows this truth and as he shares the following precious advice to Mr. Banks:
You’ve got to grind, grind, grind
At that grindstone
Though child’ood slips like sand through a sieve
And all too soon they’ve up grown
And then they’ve flown
And it’s too late for you to give…
When I look around and fear that I am not getting ahead, I have to remind myself that I don’t have to measure up to the world’s standard of success. My treasures are not of this world, but every bit as real.
Let me tell you about the biggest lesson I learned in 2009: I learned that love – and God – are enough to carry us though whatever situation we face. Here is why:
Here is why: Our family was hit hard by the economic downfall of 2008 and 2009, as so many other families have been. My husband Matt is a landscape architect. With very little new development projects, work was scarce. I watched as my husband returned from work on so many days, his face clouded with the pressures of sustaining not only his business, but our family as well. Matt’s income decreased by about 50% over the past year in order to keep his business doors open, even as other firms were permanently closing their own doors at alarming rates all around us.
On the home front, this meant a drastic reduction of every expense. We cut back in every way possible: satellite television subscriptions, trips to Target, makeup, dining out, anything that wasn’t necessary was cut. All of the cutbacks hurt somewhat, but most painful was the fact we could no longer pay for my autistic son’s special medical costs, including Alec’s biomedical and dietary supplements and trips to his autism specialists. Most of these costs are not covered by our insurance.
So, from March until December, Alec did without any of his supplements or medications. I struggled with this concern all year, wondering if Alec’s progress would be lost. I wondered what God could be doing, after Alec had seen such wonderful advances in recent years. Would it all be lost?Was lovereally enough?
Day after day stretched on, with no guarantees that we could make it through anything but the day on hand. We didn’t know what the future held. Would be able to stay in our home? What if the car broke down? All we had was the knowledge that God had been faithful to us in the past, that and His promises to take care of our needs.
It is now 2010. We made it though 2009, still standing! Now I can see that God was proving to us that He IS completely faithful to provide for our family, and that includes caring for our autistic son Alec! Yes, it was a terribly difficult year. Yes, we continually felt that we were just one small step away from falling over a financial cliff. But on a daily basis–not weekly or monthly, but DAILY–God provided all that we needed. We are still here, still in our home, still floating, and Alec is doing well despite the months without supplements & biomedical medications. In fact, he received A’s and B’s on his first third grade report card in his typical third grade classroom. Finally in December we were able to get Alec back onto his supplements.
I am writing to tell you that we are still standing because GOD REALLY is faithful to take care of our families. The journey may seem more than we can bear, but HE IS WITH US. And so I write these words again, but this time, I write with a proven knowledge that the words are true:
“If love is all we have to give our autistic children, then God WILL see to it that love is enough.”
So keep on loving and trusting God. I promise you, He is faithful to every need! We will never know the awesome truth of God’s power until we totally let go over every artificial lifeline and throw ourselves backwards completely into His arms, trusting that He will be there to catch us.
If you are a listener of the program, welcome! I would love to hear your comments and stories! Please feel free to share them on this site.
If would like to purchase “Autism’s Hidden Blessings: Discovering God’s Promises for Autistic Children and Their Families,” you can find the book at these online booksellers:
In addition, I have set up a Facebook page where you can connect with other parents on the autism journey, share your story or post a question. There is always activity going on at this location! Click here to connect with the Facebook Group for Autism’s Hidden Blessings.
I would love to hear your stories, questions and comments about the topic. But the most important thing I want you to know is this:
Your child is greatly loved by God.
Your child is greatly valued by God,
and God has a wonderful purpose for your child’s life,
no less than that of any other child!
Take heart! God is for you.. and your child, too. You don’t have to walk this journey alone!
Comments from Readers … or your turn to talk!