Tuesday, October 07, 2008
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The Prayers of a Special Needs Child
Guest post from Sandcastles
When your special-needs child has a condition which affects the brain, thought or communication process, it is a natural thing to wonder what "gets through".
Whenever I pray, I ask God to give both Dani and me the words and understanding we need to communicate well. I want to know my daughter's heart and be able to tell when she has enough understanding to explain our spiritual beliefs to her. And I guard very carefully against giving her the wrong ideas about things. It takes a lot of patience and can be time consuming, but what is more important?
Dani is into the "Littlest Pet Shop". She never tires of them. Her favorite thing is to act out scenarios and sometimes she uses them to communicate. It works so well, I've incorporated the toys into her schooling; enacting history, discussing feelings, etc.
One morning I was saying my prayers, lying prone (which I don't usually do). Dani woke up and asked what I was doing. I told her I was praying and she looked skeptical, so I explained that sometimes, when the prayer is very important, I lie on my face to pray. She seemed to take the explanation in stride and I forgot about it. I figured she did too.
A few days ago, I bought some crafts to do with the girls. Lisa thought it was cute and wanted to be in on the fun. So I told Dani not to touch the things because we were waiting for Lisa.
This morning I walked in the bedroom and saw her playing with some of the unfinished wood forms. I told her that since the temptation of having the things within reach was too much for her to deal with, I'd have to take them away where she couldn't see or reach them. She became upset and kept saying, "It wasn't me! It wasn't me!" Then we had a little discussion about telling the truth. She looked rebellious but didn't say anything else on the matter.
A little while later, I walked into the room to see the 30 or so Littlest Pet Shop figures face down on her little playtable. Thinking she was enacting some war scene (or worse) I asked her what she was doing. She looked at me and said, "They're praying 'I'm sorry.'" Then she got down on the floor and imitated their position. After a minute or so, she got up and looked at me expectantly and said "I'm sorry, Mom."
"Do you mean you're sorry for disobeying me?", I asked.
"Yes." She replied. "And I lied." She seemed to hesitate. Her eyes opened wide. "It's a very im-poor-tant prayer."She never ceases to amaze me.
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Comments (24)
:) God bless.
that is so sweet.
Hugs
God bless
That's precious. God bless you and your daughter.
Wow! we can all learn from your daughter. I am praying for you and your daughter. Karen
wow, that's awesome! God bless. =)
This isn't to offend anyone in any way or to make fun but: Where does it say to lay face down on the ground? -out of curiosity-
Aww, that's cute. :3 I had a friend who had a special needs son who was like that. But when he prayed he put his hands together in the typical praying way, closed his eyes and said, 'da da da da DA!' (he couldn't speak very well but he could understand others) It was so cute and honest. x))
That is absolutely adorable. What a sweetheart.
@MoBunshin@xanga - It's just a way of being humble before God - prostrating oneself.
faith like a child...
@Breath - OH. Okay, thanks. :P That is what I was thinking, but I wasn't quite sure. Thanks~ :)
@MoBunshin@xanga - To add on to what someone else already mentioned, besides it being a respectful/humble gesture, it doesn't say anywhere in the Bible what position we should be in when we pray. You could pray with your eyes wide open staring at the ground, at the sky, at the wall, whatever. You can pray sitting, standing, kneeling. So, laying face down is just another "position" for praying in. Though, it is usually seen as a respect thing.
At my church, the youth have Monday night prayer meetings called "FaceDown", where they all pray "FaceDown" for eachother, for their families, for their friends, etc.
Oh, and awesome story Sandcastles. :)
@ashleyannaka@xanga - I didn't think of it that way. Thanks you!~
@MoBunshin@xanga - I started to say "No problemo," then realized I've already said that to you. I don't want to sound redundant, so - no prob, Bob.
@Breath - Okey dokey, artichokey. ;D
@MoBunshin@xanga - ROFL
this is amazing!! I have always wondered myself... God is good!
oh man! I told myself I wasn't going to cry today!
Seriously, being involved in the Children's Ministry, I get to see these little moments. This past summer, at church camp with our 3rd - 5th graders, we had one girl with Asperger's and just when we thought not much was getting through to her, she amazed us with all that she had taken in, processed, and retained.
She taught me so much in that 3 days about how even if we don't find a way in, God ALWAYS does.
God Bless you and Dani!
I almost cried too reading this! Children are so amazing and it's amazing how God uses them to teach us things when we least expect it. :)
God bless you! Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow. Why can't we all be that honest with our parents and especially with God?
I work with special needs kids at a school and there are a lot of times that their not quite as adorable as this. But when I get to work with an autistic 3 year old, I have the best time of my life with him. This post kinda reminded me of him.
Awww. Thanks for sharing. Never loose your sight of Hope. :)
<3, ~*Akarui Mitsukai*~
that is so sweet. Dani is a very special child in the eyes of God. she sounds like very sweet child. She knows that you love her. God bless you and Dani.
aw, that's so sweet,,,,