“Jesus, Autism, and Why I Still Believe”
I’m guest posting today at a terrific blog called “Find My Eyes.” The author is a fellow autism dad, and he’s a great guy. This month, he’s been featuring a different guest post by someone in the autism community. When I offered to take a day, he asked me to write about my faith, and how it works with my family situation. This is what I sent him:
Jesus, Autism, and Why I Still Believe
The Christian faith is a lousy force field. Some of us think we can hide inside of it like it’s a super sleek Jesus bubble that locks in the happy times and repels sadness. We think it will keep the lights glowing and the fires crackling inside our little Thomas Kinkade lives, and nothing can breach it. We teach our kids to sing, “I’m inside, outside, upside, downside happy all the time” since we found Jesus. And if they grow up with a shred of motivation, they might just sue us for religious malpractice, because it’s a lie. We are living neck deep in the stink of life just like everyone else.
Oh, we try to deny it. When someone asks us how we’re doing in church, we have a script for that:
“I’m fine, thanks!”
Because we’re all fine. Everything’s great, because we have Jesus, and we’re just… so… great.
I couldn’t access the full version through Facebook, so I’m glad it worked from here. Well written, as always, Jason. While God has given us the wonderful, awful freedom to choose and act as we will even when He has told us to do something else, He does know every detail of our lives even before we (and others have made those choices. And accepts the audacious promise of Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose,” as a part if His word! That means He can bring good out of all the bad things in our lives. It does not mean they are a part of His desire and perfect plan for us. Chris’ concussion & not being expected to live through the night were definitely not good, and when I received that promise on the way to the hospital I did not know if we would see the good on earth or only in heaven. I am grateful for the way it worked out, but I didn’t know when we were going through it. Your “going through it” season looms much larger and longer than ours was, but the good also has a larger audience than ours did, since you live in a larger “goldfish bowl” through this blog and Finding Jackson. I am grateful for all of you and what God is doing in and through you!
Dear Jason,
Thanks for sharing your life and your family. Just FYI i have written a book about my 30 plus years raising a son with Autism. I wrote it for dads.If you get a chance to read it (at the website above), i would really like your comments.
Please keep your faith in Jesus and may God bless you
Ken Herceg