Where Faith Meets the Unexpected: Diata's Bracelet

For a long time, I thought faith was a staircase I climbed toward a life of “blessings” and predictability. But raising a child with autism has taught me that faith is more often a descent-a journey into the heart of a GOD who meets us in the messy, the non-verbal, and unexpected spectrum. My oldest son, Sundiata, has autism. He will be 27 this coming June. He is a “man after GOD’s own heart”; mild mannered (mostly) and a basketball fanatic. He is my heart. There have been many seasons of lament though. I have set at the “wall” grieving the dreams I had for him and the life I thought he would lead. In the past, the silence of GOD felt like the silence of Diata. But I have learned that “enlarging my soul” requires me to stop running from the pain of this loss and instead, let it soften me. Relying on CHRIST hasn’t meant the struggles disappear; it has meant that the struggles now have a divine purpose. In the meltdowns, I have found the patience of the FATHER. In the “in between” spaces of waiting for breakthroughs, I have found the peace of the HOLY SPIRIT. In Diata’s unique way of seeing the world, I have glimpsed the image of GOD in a way I never would have otherwise. I am being re-built, brick by brick, into someone who can love without conditions, just as I am loved by my FATHER. If you find yourself weary today, remember that you are not walking in this valley alone. The GOD who created your child or family member is the same GOD who is sustaining you. Your exhaustion is seen, your tears are collected, and your faithfulness is forging a spiritual depth that few truly understand. This journey is the very ground where GOD is making you more like HIM. “The LORD will fulfill HIS purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands” PSALM 138:8 “But HE said to me, ‘MY grace is sufficient for you, for MY power is made perfect in weakness” 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 Be encouraged; JESUS is not finished. He is an expert at taking what feels broken and turning it into a masterpiece of grace. To GOD be the glory!