I salute every single mother listening today; every one of them! And boy, I mean it. I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I have such great respect for single mothers who are raising small children in these tough economic times. And my respect is even greater if those children have disabilities.
I’m thinking of my friend Lisa who’s raising two youngsters – Hailey who is 12 years old, and 10-year-old Jacob who has Down syndrome. Now, just let that fact sink in for a minute because it doesn’t take much to imagine how challenging it must be for Lisa, not to mention her little ones – cleaning, shopping, cooking, getting Hailey ready for her school, and Jacob ready for special-ed school… then there’s all his special needs, working with his regional center, working with his teachers, challenges with health insurance.
Friend, when you’re a single mom with two small kids, one of whom has a severe disability, the daily demands of parenting take an extremely heavy toll. And last summer when Lisa arrived at her first Joni and Friends Family Retreat, that woman was physically drained, financially strapped, and spiritually so wounded. She honestly felt as though God had forgotten her. She didn’t know what to expect at Family Retreat, but was deeply grateful for the scholarship that enabled her and her children to attend.
One of the first things that struck Lisa were our volunteers (we call them short-term missionaries)… trained volunteers who just jumped right in and struck up immediate friendships with Hailey and Jacob. Before Lisa knew it, those kids were off having fun with other children horseback riding, doing archery, gymnastics, arts and crafts, Bible time – we even got Jacob with his Down syndrome out on the basketball court for a night of square dancing (tell me that wasn’t fun)! You can imagine the expression on Lisa’s face as she watched from the sidelines.
And by the end of the week Lisa no longer felt as though God had abandoned her – in fact, she said to our leadership team, “This week God showed me that he had not forgotten about me or my family. [It was just a few days ago when I began to feel] the change coming over me.” And then Lisa added, “[Here at Retreat] my hardened heart melted and [I have cried] tears of joy, peace, and love. I felt like yelling at the top of my lungs, ‘Jesus loves me!’” And you know what? That’s exactly what Lisa did. Because it was at Family Retreat that she was finally able to boldly declare that she had Christ in her heart and that no obstacle could now come between her and her Lord.
The Bible describes Lisa’s situation so beautifully where God reminds us that he gives strength to the weary and his grace to those who are weak and faint. Friend, the Bible says, “A bruised reed He will not break” – that’s a promise! So take heart from Lisa’s story today, no matter if you’re a single mom or well, well… just single; whether you are taking care of an elderly parent or a child with Down syndrome like Jacob. Remember that God longs to show you his compassion, just as he did to Lisa. There’s no challenge so great that God’s help and hope is not greater still! And, hey, if you feel up for it, how about volunteering this year to help a family like hers?! We’re always in need of short-term missionaries, so visit me today at joniandfriendsradio.org and ask for one of our Family Retreat brochures. Pray about it, check your summer calendar, then sign up for the time of your life. It’ll be a chance for you to help a family like Lisa’s have the time of their life, too.
I invite you to visit me today at our website at joniandfriendsradio.org. Until next time, this is Joni and Friends.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
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