The Ability to Worship

When you have a child with a disability, it is so important, as his mother, that you reflect on his abilities instead of letting his disabilities cloud your view of the child God perfectly formed in your womb.

If you forget to notice the abilities, there aren't many people in the community who will help you to see them.  We live in an insensitive world where most people are quick to ask rude and uncaring questions or make inappropriate and ignorant statements.

When things are really tough, it gets harder to see the abilities because you feel as if you are drowning in your child's disabilities when they are screaming in your face.

Because of his Autism, Josh may not understand another person's perspective, he might get sensory overload from a few minutes in the community, and his motor skills may be a bit awkward, but he has a candid honesty about him and the ability to put himself out there not caring what other people will think.  He also has perfect pitch and loves music.  He loves God and has a personal relationship with him, and although at times when his Autism or Bi-polar overwhelms him making him doubt God's goodness, he always sees the truth that God really does care and gives him the grace to keep on keeping on.

These abilities give Josh one of the most important abilities - the ability to WORSHIP!  After all, God created us to worship!  The depth of some of Josh's prayers to God, his frank honesty about his struggles and doubts, and his pleas for God's help often catch me off guard and surprise me and challenge me in my own prayer life.

I also love the way that Josh loves to sing praises to God.  He takes making a joyful noise unto the Lord to heart and sings with all of his might - sometimes to our embarrassment (shame on us!) over the flat or sharp notes he sings as he tries to get his voice to sing the harmony note he hears in his head.  He sings with passion, fervor, and gusto to the glory of God.  I think we all could learn a thing or two from his example.

This Sunday, Josh had the opportunity to sing for special music at church.  It was a chance for him to let his ability shine and use it for God's glory.  The song he sang is taken from Proverbs 3:5-6, a passage we often turn to during the struggles with his disabilities.  It's a passage that everyone needs to remember, because if we don't trust God, life will be pretty miserable!  

I am thankful for the way that God can use a child with many disabilities to speak His truths to the hearts of His people and use Josh's abilities for His honor and glory!  In my opinion, there is no greater ability than the ability to worship!

Results to be Excited About

We have been concerned about Josh's triglyceride levels ever since we had to put him on a mood stabilizer back in 2012.  Within months of starting the medication, Josh's triglyceride levels increased.  At the same time, we were concerned for his LDL and HDL cholesterol levels.  Because of the harmful side effects of these kinds of drugs, we've had to get Josh's Lipid Panel checked about every 6 months to keep a close eye on his levels.  In January 2014, we went into crisis mode because Josh's triglyceride levels skyrocketed to 517, a level that is extremely dangerous for adults not to mention children.  Josh was immediately referred to a cardiologist to make sure his heart wasn't already suffering.  Not only he could have damaged his heart, but he was at risk for pancreatitis and other complications.

At the recommendation of the cardiologist, we started using flax in various meals and desserts to help lower the triglyceride levels.  The cardiologist also recommended that we switch from whole wheat bread to whole grain brain (Did you know that whole wheat bread is broken down in the body just like white bread?  The best kind of bread to consume is whole grain bread if you don't want fast sugars in your body) We also started Josh on a fish oil supplement and tried to get him to do intentional exercise a few times a week.  A re-test in April showed good improvement with the triglycerides in the sense that the severe cardiac and other organ risks were lowered, but his levels were still too high.  We were told that most likely, Josh's low HDL levels (the good cholesterol which help to keep LDL, the bad cholesterol, down) were a genetic issue even though both Tim and I have HDL levels in normal limits.  We were told it most likely will never improve.

In March, we began using essential oils to help Josh with his mood instability.  We had such great results that his psychiatrist started decreasing his mood stabilizer medication.  He went from 1.5 mg daily and did a 0.25 mg decrease at a time over several months until he leveled out at 0.5 mg daily this past Fall.

In August, Josh had a severe allergic reaction to the antibiotic he was put on for Lyme's Disease, and his body went into a heightened period of hives.  Taking his fish oil supplement each morning caused him to break out in hives, so we had to stop the fish oil.

In the middle of December, I started Josh on a trio pack of natural supplements (3 all-natural, bio-available supplements including a multi-vitamin, essential oil and omega supplement, and a cellular restorative supplement) with the hopes of helping his body be healthier, help with his Autism symptoms, and help with his triglycerides.  We saw a huge improvement in his Autism symptoms pretty much right away, but only time would tell if the supplements were helping with his triglycerides.  Due to the timing of Josh's follow up with his cardiologist, we just got his blood drawn last week.  I got the results on Friday and nearly cried out of pure joy!  Josh's triglyceride levels dropped by 200 points!  His HDL also increased by 10 points, and while still below normal, it's so close to being in normal range!

I am so excited about the incredible test results that I just have to share with the world - well at least my friends who read my blog!  Moral of this story - don't ever give up or let what a doctor says keep you from trying.  God is greater than modern medicine, and as I've found out through the natural supplements and essential oils, God's creation is powerfully beneficial for our bodies and health!  These supplements and essential oils don't cure or treat in any way, but they support our bodies to do what God created our bodies to do - Heal and repair itself!

I created a table to make it easy to see the progression of Josh's Lipid Panel results this past year.

If you think I am making this up, look at a few of his test results for yourself!

If you would like to know more about these supplements we have been using for Josh as well as the rest of our family, contact me!

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

In discussing our sermon passage in Romans 11 this past Sunday, our pastor mentioned the hymn "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" by William Cowper.  I absolutely love the hymn, and since our pastor mentioned it, I have yet to get it out of my head and have been going through my days singing it over and over.  It's a good thing because it's a good reminder for me as I push through my days of being a "single parent" to our two special needs boys while my husband Tim is out of town.

I have seen the mysterious ways God has worked throughout my life and even just within this week:

• In a week that was set up to be difficult with Tim out of town, I needed the reminder that God is sovereign.  Juggling my two days of work as a nurse without having Tim home to take care of the boys and our normal afternoon childcare arrangements for Tuesdays; caring for the boys without Tim's help when both boys struggle with anxiety and related behaviors from having Tim gone; caring for the household responsibilities on my own; continuing to battle with therapy services for Josh; etc. -- I am surviving, and so far things are going better than I had anticipated with only two more days of being alone to go.  Part of what has gotten me through is singing this hymn and remembering God's sovereign control over my life and our daily circumstances.
• In  my own personal devotions this week, I have been reminded of God's sovereignty.  As I read through Job, I see it very clearly.  Bad things happen to good people.  Life can be difficult and full of heart-wrenching troubles.  Friends fail us. Our broken justice system acts unjustly.  Disasters lurk at every corner.  Job didn't curse God and kill himself like his unhelpful wife had suggested even after losing his wealth, his family, his means of income, his friends, and his health.  Instead he chose to praise God, ask God some deep questions from his heart, and conclude that when he comes through his trials, he will come forth as gold.  No matter what I face in life, God has ordained each and every thing - from the deepest, darkest trials to the mountain top experiences.  I can live each day confidently knowing that I remain in God's capable hands and nothing today will happen outside of God's control and plan.  I may not see His purposes clearly, but I know that He will work His sovereign will performing His wonders daily in my life.  I can put away my anxious fears and live in the moment all for God's glory!

Because I love the song so much and because I couldn't get it out of my head anyway, I decided to take some time for myself today, reflecting on God's sovereignty and glory, and record a video of this hymn for others to enjoy the truths of those great words!  Forgive the poor audio and the piano that needs to be tuned.  I recorded it on my voice memo app on my ipod while I played the piano and sang. :-)