Parenting a child with special needs is a big thing—sometimes, an overwhelming thing. Those big things can keep us from seeing and appreciating the small things God uses to draw us close to him. With Easter fast approaching, may God use this devotion and your life as the parent of a child with special needs to fix your eyes upon the glory of the cross.

For who has despised the day of small things?
Zechariah 4:10a

As a young child, I daydreamed about becoming big-things kind of girl. I had big plans for a career as either a television star or a princess. Therefore, I focused on the big things like dramatic poses and tiaras rather than little things like learning to tie my shoes. Or telling time. Or making letters like b and d point the right way. Or memorizing math facts. Eventually, my parents and teachers made life miserable until I learned to pay attention to little things.

But I remained a big-things kind of girl at heart for many years—even after I became a Christian and started reading the Bible. I preferred the big, showy stories—Moses parting the Red Sea, Daniel in the lions’ den, and Jesus feeding the five thousand—to hidden, quiet events like Moses in the bulrushes, Ruth gleaning grain, or the long drudgery of rebuilding the temple in Zechariah’s day.

I remained a sucker for bright lights and big things until two babies entered our home six years apart. When they arrived, life became a river of small things. Tiny fingernails to clip. Itty-bitty diapers. Minuscule onesies. Little bodies asleep in my arms. The first tiny hints of toothless smiles.

The rest of this post can be read at the Not Alone website.

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