The task of raising a child with special needs is a series of ups and downs, hope and despair, joy and challenge. Guest blogger Rebekah Benimoff and her family recently went through a challenging time that left her praying for rest.
A Special Needs Mom Prays for Rest, Part 1
Prayer
Father God, it has been a rough few weeks. This month has not started out with a bang, but rather a deluge. Medical issues, illnesses, diabetes complications, and the death of a good friend. Each difficult to deal with on its own, but combined together…. I am left feeling depleted. Wanting to restore balance, but not knowing quite how to reach for it. With all the medical diagnoses we deal with – Asperger’s Syndrome, SPD, Type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and PTSD – a normal” month leaves me tired. Throw in an ER visit, the beginning of another grieving process, and a week later a frantic 911 call – for a diabetes related seizure – and I am feeling stretched, to say the least. I long to simply be.
Yet I am also filled with gratitude. I am so very thankful that despite some close calls, Tyler is still with us. I am thankful that my friend is with Jesus, no longer struggling with so many medical issues and complications, no longer in consistent pain. Still, I will miss her. I am grateful for moments of quiet, the gift of a day to stay in our pajamas and just be together as a family (while watching blood glucose levels carefully and doing the extra post-emergency diabetes care. I am grateful for friends and family who’ve reach out to me with prayers and messages of support in these last weeks. I am grateful to have a quiet weekend to rest and recover…
Recovery
In times like these, there is a recovery period. We watch over Tyler more carefully than usual, checking blood glucose levels every two hours throughout the day and night for a couple days. We step out of extra activities because it is important to take time to recover. I am reminded of various lessons in self-care for the caregiver. Where there is less sleep, there is the opportunity to seek rest emotionally and spiritually. When the crisis has passed, I have a choice. I’ve learned what restores me in body, spirit, and soul, and I make this a priority. I know that I take better care of those I love when I take care of myself. So I make sure that what I choose to pour my depleted stores of energy into reflects these needs.
This weekend an emotional need was filled by quiet moments with my husband and my boys. We took time to come together as a family in the peace of a day at home together. It was a time to unwind together, to rest together, and recover as a family from our ordeal. To simply be together, and invest in the precious gifts we have in each other. I also had a need for physical rest. A nap did a lot more for me than hours of unwinding in front of the TV would have done. I chose to refill, and refuel. It takes some time to come back to a place of rest, but in quietness and rest I connect with God and my family, and I find a road towards recovery…
How Do You Pray When You Need Rest?
Does Rebekah’s story resonate with you? How do you pray when you need rest? Share your thoughts in the comment box, and come back tomorrow for the rest of Rebekah’s story about where she finds strength in her weakness.
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Dear Jeanette,
No wonder you identified with Rebekah’s prayer for rest. Your life is so similar. Thank you for praying for Rebekah. I will be praying for you, too.
Jolene
Dear Jeanette,
No wonder you identified with Rebekah’s prayer for rest. Your life is so similar. Thank you for praying for Rebekah. I will be praying for you, too.
Jolene
Dear Jakki,
Thank you for sharing your story. Your prayer doesn’t sound like “whining” to me. It sounds like the prayer of a mother who recognizes her limits and leans upon God when her strength fails. Your daughter is so blessed to have you as her mom.
Praying for you,
Jolene
Dear Jakki,
Thank you for sharing your story. Your prayer doesn’t sound like “whining” to me. It sounds like the prayer of a mother who recognizes her limits and leans upon God when her strength fails. Your daughter is so blessed to have you as her mom.
Praying for you,
Jolene
Dear Rose,
Rebekah is blessed to have you as a prayer partner.
Jolene
Dear Rose,
Rebekah is blessed to have you as a prayer partner.
Jolene
Rebekah, your story touched my heart. I felt like I was the one writing it. I have 2 special needs kids. My oldest, Ryan, was born with pour muscle tone. It has caused him to be delayed in his gross motor skills. He didn’t start crawling until he was 15 months old and didn’t start walking until he was almost 2. He is 9 now. He is in 2nd grade and is doing really well. He just has a speech delay. He gets speech therapy for that. Yes, it is still hard to understand his words cause having poor muscle tone effects all muscles..including the tongue, lips, etc.. But he has made great progress. My second child is Cade. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on June 29,2009. He was 4 at the time. He is now 7. He is in first grade and he is having a hard time in school. Some from blood sugar issues and possibly another reason is a possible learning disability. He is being tested for that while I speak. I also have a 4 year old son named Adam. He is my smartest of all 3 cause my 2 older kids teach him everything. He is a fast learner. 3 boys. That is enough. Me and my hubby are too old and tired to try for a girl. I’ll just pray for 3 good daughter-in-laws and grand-daughters. If all this wasn’t enough, in Feb, I had a bad fall. I hit my head so hard on the floor that I had a seizure. I cracked my skull, got a BAD concussion, a skalped hemtoma ( which is a cut in my head down to the bone) and some small bleeds in my brain. I am still trying to recover from all that. No, I have never had any seizures. A Migraine was the most issues I have had with my Neuro System. I am on seizure meds and even though all tests have left NO real indication that I will be an Epileptic, no one can say I will never have a another seizure. I am now at a low risk for them at least. So, I felt like I was writing this about me and my family. We will be in prayer for you and your family. Thanks for sharing!
Rebekah, your story touched my heart. I felt like I was the one writing it. I have 2 special needs kids. My oldest, Ryan, was born with pour muscle tone. It has caused him to be delayed in his gross motor skills. He didn’t start crawling until he was 15 months old and didn’t start walking until he was almost 2. He is 9 now. He is in 2nd grade and is doing really well. He just has a speech delay. He gets speech therapy for that. Yes, it is still hard to understand his words cause having poor muscle tone effects all muscles..including the tongue, lips, etc.. But he has made great progress. My second child is Cade. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on June 29,2009. He was 4 at the time. He is now 7. He is in first grade and he is having a hard time in school. Some from blood sugar issues and possibly another reason is a possible learning disability. He is being tested for that while I speak. I also have a 4 year old son named Adam. He is my smartest of all 3 cause my 2 older kids teach him everything. He is a fast learner. 3 boys. That is enough. Me and my hubby are too old and tired to try for a girl. I’ll just pray for 3 good daughter-in-laws and grand-daughters. If all this wasn’t enough, in Feb, I had a bad fall. I hit my head so hard on the floor that I had a seizure. I cracked my skull, got a BAD concussion, a skalped hemtoma ( which is a cut in my head down to the bone) and some small bleeds in my brain. I am still trying to recover from all that. No, I have never had any seizures. A Migraine was the most issues I have had with my Neuro System. I am on seizure meds and even though all tests have left NO real indication that I will be an Epileptic, no one can say I will never have a another seizure. I am now at a low risk for them at least. So, I felt like I was writing this about me and my family. We will be in prayer for you and your family. Thanks for sharing!
My daughter is nearly 24 and caring for her has become more challenging with mental illness now taking a front seat to the physical issues with her cerebral palsy. I am often overwhelmed with all that needs to be done for her. My “whining” prayer is often: Lord, help me to prioritize what truly needs to be done and rest my mind from worry and stress so I can enjoy your creation by taking walks and getting outside – even in the rain. Help me to set a side even a small amount of time for what is pleasurable to me – coloring, playing the piano, painting, etc. I can’t do it all Lord but can do what needs to be done with Your help. Thank you for my lovely daughter and the gift you gave me so many years ago when her dad and I adopted her.
My daughter is nearly 24 and caring for her has become more challenging with mental illness now taking a front seat to the physical issues with her cerebral palsy. I am often overwhelmed with all that needs to be done for her. My “whining” prayer is often: Lord, help me to prioritize what truly needs to be done and rest my mind from worry and stress so I can enjoy your creation by taking walks and getting outside – even in the rain. Help me to set a side even a small amount of time for what is pleasurable to me – coloring, playing the piano, painting, etc. I can’t do it all Lord but can do what needs to be done with Your help. Thank you for my lovely daughter and the gift you gave me so many years ago when her dad and I adopted her.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful prayer and wise words. Always praying for you! With Love!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful prayer and wise words. Always praying for you! With Love!