One of the regular reminders from @worldPrayer is as follows: “Families, that have special need kids or handicapped or terminally ill members really do need our prayers, so please.” But, “How can I pray more specifically?” you might ask. These are some of my own observations and thoughts. Parenting special needs children brings with it additional stress that manifests itself in various ways and changes as the child, or children if more than one, grows. Sadly, many parents buckle under the pressure and let it affect their marriage, often ending in divorce. Pray that parents will heed the exhortation in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
There are many decisions parents must make about their special needs children, such as “Should we have this surgery or treatment for our child?” Or, “Should we take our child to an out-of-state physician for treatment?” Or, there is this question we may have to make a few years from now: “Should we have our child live with us as an adult or place her in an assisted living facility? These are just a few; there are many more. Pray for wisdom for making these decisions.
There are extra financial needs that accompany special needs children. Sure, insurance covers many expenses, but there are others that aren’t covered. Certain equipment that is deemed “not medically necessary,” such as a potty/bath chair often isn’t covered and can cost over $1000. A wheelchair accessible van is a major expense that we are likely to incur soon.
Parents, especially those with younger children, may still be going through the grief cycle and need strong emotional support. Even after reaching the “resolution” or “acceptance” phase, there are still emotions that one deals with. Seeing typical children playing outside with their friends and knowing that your child can’t do those things and may not even have friends to come over for play is hard emotionally. The extra time spent caring for your special needs child makes it more difficult to take time for you to pursue hobbies or interests. When there are other siblings in the home, and in our case a twin with his own special needs, balancing time between them is a struggle. Needless to say, once we get the kids into bed, we don’t have much energy left.
With the added demands on time, it’s easy to neglect physical needs, such as exercise and eating right. It’s also a struggle to maintain consistent quite times in the Word and in prayer.
So, the next time you see that tweet from worldprayr scroll down the window of your favorite Twitter client and you take time to pray, hopefully, you will be able to pray slightly more intelligently for those dealing with special needs. And, we can be thankful that we have a great intercessor, the Holy Spirit, praying for us on our behalf.
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