Special Needs Turmoil? Be Still and Know True Rest

by Apr 17, 2014Encouragement, Spiritual Support3 comments

Are you exhausted by special needs parenting duties? Are you looking for rest? Guest blogger Rebekah Benimoff is also looking for rest as her son struggles.

 Photo Credit: sirikul at www.freedigitalphotos.net

Holy Week is here, and as much as guest blogger Rebekah Benimoff hoped to write about a Lenten spirit, life as the parent of a teen with special needs got in the way. So today she’s here to share the cry of her mother’s heart and desire to know the true rest we have in Christ who died for us and rose again.

Knowing Rest

Tonight I need a pouring out, and a flood of pouring in. There has been rain and chaos throughout these past weeks, as hormones rage and my boy is growing into a man. Daily calls from the school nurse reporting high blood glucose levels and ketones, while I am at doctor appointments or exercising or grocery shopping, or simply trying to catch my breath. My precious son has been at home quite a bit in recent weeks during these learning days… I can count on one hand the number of days he’s been well enough to remain at school through every class. A test tonight revealed high anxiety levels and a question:

Are you having anxiety attacks?

No, but I am trying to mimic pancreas function in a growing boy and truly, I am clueless as to what to do next. Insulin has been increased, and levels are high one minute and an hour later plummeting. I am confused, and although I focus on tracking and problem solving, it seems trouble-shooting has not kept away disquietude. I’ve walked that path of hushed chaos and I remember truths learned previous seasons. Life can be a holy mess, yet after another chaotic day, this rings true:

The murkier the mish-mash, the more I must cling to the One who embodies holiness. I desperately need Jesus, and while I’d love Jehovah Shalom—the Lord my peace—to smooth out the pandemonium of this life, I know that the God who sees me (El Roi), and knows my every need, will provide (Jehovah Jireh) what I need most—more of the Presence Who fills and sustains.

Speak the name of Jesus and darkness flees.
Cry out for power and wisdom beyond myself, and the Voice that soothes whispers love.
Pour out every anxiety upon the altar and know Peace incarnate.
Lean into the arms of Love and be held, cradled, and comforted.

I love You, Eternal One, source of my power, who holds me and shelters me in times of chaos.
The Eternal is my rock, my fortress, and my salvation—my safe-covering, my saving strength.
He is my True God, the stronghold in which I hide—my shepherd, He IS my safe place.
My strong shield, the horn that calls forth help, and my tall-walled tower—my protector, my provision.

I am rescued from the snare of my enemy, from fear and despair, from weakness and uncertainty.

I call out to the Eternal, who is worthy to be praised—that’s how I will be rescued from my enemies.The bonds of death encircled me; the currents of destruction tugged at me;the sorrows of the grave wrap around me;the traps of death lay in wait for me. (Psalm 18:3–5; the Voice edition)

I am set free from fear of death and pain, from confusion—and even the many difficulties of managing unpredictable medical needs—for I know Who to invite into these chaotic days:  The Everlasting, The Alpha and Omega, who is my Rock, my stability when the foundations of my world are shaken. 

In my time of need, I called to the Eternal; I begged my True God for help. He heard my voice echo up to His temple, and my cry came to His ears. (Psalm 18:6; the Voice edition)

Through raging hormones, unstable blood glucose levels and a teen who’s felt ill more days than he’s felt well, there is One I can cling to.

He reached down His hand from above me; He held me. He lifted me from the raging waters. He rescued me from my strongest enemy, from all those who sought my death, for they were too strong. They came for me in the day of my destruction, but the Eternal was the support of my life. He set me down in a safe place; He saved me to His delight; He took joy in me. (Psalm 18: 16–19; the Voice edition)

Tonight I recognize the need to be still and know the presence of the Lover of my Soul, the One who takes great joy in loving me. My All in All, the quencher of my thirst, the Giver of all rest and provision. Anxiety laid down as prayer sloughs away the restless cares of my heart.

For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. (Psalm 18:31–32; NIV edition)

My man-child said it this week: the only thing predictable about life is its unpredictability. I can’t count on trends of blood glucose levels and best guesses of insulin needs. But I can count on, believe, and rest in my Rock, my fortress, the Most High God who showers me with love and provision in every season; the Lord my Peace, Who is the gift in the midst of turmoil.

Do You Need Rest?

Do Rebekah’s words speak to your heart? Do you need rest? Leave a comment about how the Different Dream bloggers can pray for you.

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By Rebekah Benimoff

Rebekah Benimoff is the wife of a husband with PTSD and the mother of two young men, both of whom grew up with medical and special needs. She blogs at In the Chaos…. and In the Calm (justmemama.blogspot.com).

3 Comments

  1. Jolene

    Rebekah has a gift for putting things into spiritual perspective, doesn’t she?

  2. Sylvia

    We are going through much turmoil also. Thanks for this reminder that I can have peace through it all!

  3. Denie Sidney

    Yes, I do need rest. Recently, my daughter is having more difficulty with irritability, sensory issues, and possibly PTSD. She is 3 yrs. old, non-verbal, and has multiple physical and cognitive disabilities. My husband became ill in January and now has to medically retire from his job. I am also trying to return to the workforce after 2 years. I was okay until these 3 events collided. I am weary…

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Jolene Philo is a published author, speaker, wife, and mother of a son with special needs.

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