Live, learn, be free

The Upside of Asperger's

I think I will try something new with my blog.  I would like to help educate people about Asperger's Syndrome, so every Wednesday I will try to give some insight into what it is like for our son and what you can do help those who struggle with Asperger's Syndrome, like my son.  I hope this raises awareness as well as sensitivity for those who are different from us.

A few years ago a friend asked me, "if they invented a cure for Autism would you give it to Elijah", I thought for a moment and answered, "No".  That may sound strange to think I would not want my son to be healed from this disorder that torments him at times.

Let me explain myself.  Elijah is a wonderful child, he has setbacks and struggles.  He is a very loving and caring child.  This is not a typical trait of Asperger's Syndrome, usually they are not very emotional or empathetic people.  Elijah on the other hand has always accepted hugs and affection from us. 

I am thankful Elijah was diagnosed at such a young age.  We have had privilege of early intervention.  I think what we have been through with him has made us better people.  Elijah has learned so much in the last 8 years.  He really has come a long way. 

I love him just the way God created him and I would not want to jeopardize what we have right now with the possibility of a "cure".  I think as Elijah gets older we continue to trust God with his life, we pray and we need to continuing putting his life in God's hands. 

We must trust God, because there is an upside to Asperger's and God is showing it to us.  We get the opportunity to help our son through life's struggles with a different set of eyes.  I do believe God has a plan for our son and we trust Him to continue to guide us through this maze of Asperger's.

Forgiving Yourself

Forgiving yourself is one of the hardest things for us to do.  We can accept forgiveness from others and even from God.  Something inside us makes it incredibly hard for us to forgive ourselves.  We feel like we have to punish ourselves for our wrongdoings. 

God forgives us and He forgets about our sins.  We have a hard time forgiving ourselves because we keep reliving our sins.  God's way is the best way.  How do we go from living in unforgiveness to living in freedom from our past and our sins? 

It is amazing what happens when we forgive ourselves and use what was meant for harm to do good.  We open up a world of living in freedom.  We learn that we can help others with the same struggles.  When you forgive yourself you learn to love others enough to open up about your struggles. 

We can not get so stuck in the past that we miss the riches of the present.  We have to learn to walk in freedom from our past sins and experience the wealth of each moment.  As I travel and speak to women in the US and overseas, I find that many women struggle with forgiving themselves. 

God loves us more than anything He created.  We are His beloved.  God wants us to live free, Galatians 5:1 says it all, "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery."