Is there any hope? Now there’s a question every parent caring for a child with disabilities and special needs ponders. Guest blogger Kimberly Drew is back to point readers to the source of her hope as she and her husband raise two daughters with disabilities.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,
may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,
the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:17-19a (NIV)

I sat in a waiting room of a children’s hospital dedicated to those with special needs. It’s a small hospital, and the waiting room was packed. My daughter Abbey was around 10 at the time, and we were there for a routine appointment. I was irritated about the wait when an ambulance transfer showed up with a little boy confined to a hospital bed. There were feeding tubes, trach tubes, and all kinds of other medical leads coming out of this little guy. His mom walked alongside the paramedics and stayed with her son while he got checked in. She rubbed his forehead and kissed his chee. A nurse suctioned his trach. I looked around the room at all the children with disabilities and their parents and felt hopeless. What are we all doing here? This life is too hard, it’s too painful! What’s the point of it all!?

Is there any hope?

I know I’m not the only parent who has felt that way because I have talked to so many of you who have wrestled with those very thoughts. It’s really important for us to recognize that this pursuit of truth leads to the answers that quiet our soul’s questions. Time in God’s Word is what strengthens our ability to process our unique and sometimes painful experiences. If we are in Christ Jesus, we have a living hope that is not only meant to be known, but to be experienced. Paul prays for the Ephesians to have the eyes of their hearts enlightened so that they may know  (emphasis mine) the hope to which Christ calls us, the riches of our inheritance in Him, and the incomparable power of Christ in our lives.

Psalm 119:114 says this about the Lord: You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

Sometimes people look at our life and say that it’s really hard. I won’t argue that having two disabled children is sometimes heartbreaking. But is there any hope? The answer is yes! We still have joy and hope. People ask my husband Ryan and me how we handle it the way we do. There’s only one word: Jesus. The work of his Holy Spirit, and the truth of God’s word has changed us from the inside out. 

Jeremiah 29:12-13 says Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. If you are feeling hopeless today, I encourage you to seek God’s Word. Christ is a refuge and shield. This hope, this inheritance, this power of Christ is meant to be known and experienced!

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