There is a lot of things that happen in our lives as a family that cause us to stress. Many times these things are directly related to our oldest son William Paul's diagnosis as having an autism spectrum disorder. Some days he is so hyper that he absolutely cannot be contained. Some days he squeals all day long. Some days he freaks out because he does not have the proper 20+ items in his bed with him so he will not go to sleep. These are the struggles that parents of kids with ASD face. It is normal at our house. Hey, our other sons have their issues too but William Paul is obviously our squeaky wheel that needs more grease. God Bless my wife because she is the one applying grease most days.
Now, with all that said I come to my struggles. I am a pastor . More than that I am a Christ follower. I am a Christ follower wholly concerned with the salvation of lost people. Now, what kind of parent would I be if I say that I believe the Bible (meaning Heaven is a reality, Hell is A reality, and Jesus is the only criteria by which our eternity is decided) and did not want my children to have a relationship with Christ? Here's the issue. Everyone who loves Jesus wants their family to know Christ. There are all kinds of issues and situations in life that can make it hard to get the message of the Gospel through to an individual. The issue here for me is what if my son never comes to a place where he can intellectually grasp the Gospel. The greater fear is really not that he will not intellectually be able to hear and understand it in his mind, but that his autism will really limit his ability to grasp abstract spiritual truth. He may never come to a place where his heart can be really be touched by the Gospel. For a pastor who believes in the reality of Hell this is horrifying.
You might say that I lack faith. Look, I preach and believe in an age of accountability. Read John Macarthur's book Safe in the Arms of God if you want a good treatise on the age of accountability. I believe it is different for all. I believe it is more than possible that people with certain kinds of disabilities never reach an age of accountability. However, I am not God. I will never know for sure if my son has crossed that line of knowledge of sin. I trust God in all things, and yes I do believe in his sovereignty. That does not always bring comfort, even if it should. Most days I have complete trust. I am not God and believe His purposes and plans are so much higher than mine that I cannot even begin to touch them. But I am human, and I am a father.
Now, the good news. The good news is this makes me pray. The good news is this makes me pray for my sons. The good news is this makes me pray for my wife because she is on the front lines of this battle even more than I am. The good news is that I try to stay clean before God so that I can commune with Him when things seem good and when my faith fails me. Notice I said MY faith not THE faith. The good news is this makes me more sensitive to the need for sharing the Gospel with others. The good news is that god is using even this issue for His purposes.
This is a real issue that Christian parents of children with disabilities have. I pray that this worry can be turned into victory in the lives of others. We trust God and His wisdom and plan even when its hard to understand. That is what being a Christ follower looks like.
Now, with all that said I come to my struggles. I am a pastor . More than that I am a Christ follower. I am a Christ follower wholly concerned with the salvation of lost people. Now, what kind of parent would I be if I say that I believe the Bible (meaning Heaven is a reality, Hell is A reality, and Jesus is the only criteria by which our eternity is decided) and did not want my children to have a relationship with Christ? Here's the issue. Everyone who loves Jesus wants their family to know Christ. There are all kinds of issues and situations in life that can make it hard to get the message of the Gospel through to an individual. The issue here for me is what if my son never comes to a place where he can intellectually grasp the Gospel. The greater fear is really not that he will not intellectually be able to hear and understand it in his mind, but that his autism will really limit his ability to grasp abstract spiritual truth. He may never come to a place where his heart can be really be touched by the Gospel. For a pastor who believes in the reality of Hell this is horrifying.
You might say that I lack faith. Look, I preach and believe in an age of accountability. Read John Macarthur's book Safe in the Arms of God if you want a good treatise on the age of accountability. I believe it is different for all. I believe it is more than possible that people with certain kinds of disabilities never reach an age of accountability. However, I am not God. I will never know for sure if my son has crossed that line of knowledge of sin. I trust God in all things, and yes I do believe in his sovereignty. That does not always bring comfort, even if it should. Most days I have complete trust. I am not God and believe His purposes and plans are so much higher than mine that I cannot even begin to touch them. But I am human, and I am a father.
Now, the good news. The good news is this makes me pray. The good news is this makes me pray for my sons. The good news is this makes me pray for my wife because she is on the front lines of this battle even more than I am. The good news is that I try to stay clean before God so that I can commune with Him when things seem good and when my faith fails me. Notice I said MY faith not THE faith. The good news is this makes me more sensitive to the need for sharing the Gospel with others. The good news is that god is using even this issue for His purposes.
This is a real issue that Christian parents of children with disabilities have. I pray that this worry can be turned into victory in the lives of others. We trust God and His wisdom and plan even when its hard to understand. That is what being a Christ follower looks like.
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