The Quietness Of a Child

I was taking a ride with a friend yesterday. He was trying to be positive about the day his family had endured... but to be honest, it wasn't working that well. He tried to make jokes or change the subject, but the conversation inevitable returned to the hard day he was having. It would go silent in the van (except the babbling of his youngest daughter in the back seat) as he watched the landscape zoom by through his window.

My buddy has four beautiful children (three boys and a girl). The moment you walk into his house you see their artwork framed and hanging on the walls. There are countless family pictures scattered throughout the house. There are more toys in this house than most day cares have. There is no doubt how much these kids mean to my friends. If there is one thing that you notice above all other things in the house are thousands of letters. Plastic multi-colored letters, magnetic letters, thin foamy letter, letters on the side of small building blocks...My friends have an autistic child who loves letters. The first time you met this youngster, you have no clue that he is any different than his siblings... or any other child for that matter. He sits among the thousands of letters and separates them into words or places them in alphabetical order. He keeps his head down and concentrates on the letters. He looks brilliant as he sifts through the different colored letters. You can see his mind working... he keeps looking until he finds the exact letter he was looking for. You would never know there was anything different about him at first glance... but you sit there and watch him work... five, ten, fifteen minutes go by and he never acknowledges your presents. He isn't placing the letters in order for your approval... it is as if he doesn't care that you are there. His actions do not hinge on your approval... he is in his own place.

As you watch him, your heart slowly starts to hurt. You call his name because you want to connect...he continues to spell word after word. You sit beside him on the floor and ask him what he is spelling... he doesn't respond to your words, but he is quick to push you out of the way if you have sat on the letter he needs to finish his latest word. You feel helpless as you watch... and this isn't even YOUR child. Your mind races to the parents.

Yesterday, my friends had a conference with their sons therapist. They where reminded how hard their son's life might be. It broke their hearts all over again. It was his birthday yesterday... parents shouldn't feel such a weight on their child's birthday. They watched him destroy the icing off of two cupcakes. I smiled as I watched him go to town; then I looked back at his mother. You could see the remains of a tear filled afternoon. It was a bittersweet moment for her. She tells her husband that she wants to be positive and faithful because the Lord has given her such a great gift in her children... but it isn't coming easy for her (what an amazing gal, she is). What do you say? What is there to say?

"My wife took one on the chin today!" my friend says as he breaks the silence. Everyday she takes care of these great kids. I watch these people be Godly parents. They speak love and affection to all of their kids... even if not all of them yet fully understand what love is. There is almost nothing more beautiful than the sight of a child sitting on their father lap. The Lord constantly shows us glimpses of Himself as our father.

Lamentations 3:22-24 "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

This morning my friends had to wake up with their children and restarted the cycle again... just like they have done for years. Nothing had changed for the family when the sun came up today. Autism is still a part of their day...but so is the love of the Father. This morning the Lord poured out new mercy on the households of His children. For my friends, this means new strength to love their children no matter how hard it might be... even if they never receive such a love in return... "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him."