This Is What I Know

I shared this with my friend Tammy at Praying For Parker and thought it might be good to share here, too. Read her blog entry today to see what sparked this. While I wrote it about children with Down syndrome, I think all children with intellectual disabilities qualify.


Our children with Down syndrome are not just great spirits. These great spirits were great teachers long before they came to this earth. Completely self-less, their entire goal was to further the work of Our Father.

They were each told their assignment and the difficulties involved before they came. They knew what their physical limitations would be. They each agreed to come under those circumstances, knowing full well that this was the best way for them to teach Unconditional Love.

They were sent to our families, not because we are great families with fantastic parents (speaking for myself , I can rightly say that we are not). Children with Down syndrome were sent to our families because our families needed them. Not just one person in our family, but all of us - extended families included. That they teach our friends, neighbors, and complete strangers is just a bonus.

Our children are love-magnets. They are forgiving and kind. This is to teach us to let go of hate and anger. Life is too precious to waste on hard hearts.

Our children have emotions as full in range as all of us. They can be angry, ornery, or stubborn. This is to teach us patience. Patience will take some of us a lifetime to learn. That is why our children will need our help long after their peers have grown up and moved on; to give continued lessons in patience.

Our children with Down syndrome are full of joy. They find happiness in the simplest of things. This is to teach us to slow down. Enjoy this life that has been graced to us. See the beauty everywhere you go and in everything you do.

Our children have health problems to teach us to be humble and always pray to our Heavenly Father for strength and grace. It is so hard for us to accept God's plan for us when our hearts ache so much for our children. He has not neglected us. His strength can be felt in every second of every day. His Son has already suffered our heartaches. His own heart ached while He watched His own Son suffer. They know exactly how we feel. They will not leave us alone.

Heavenly Father loves us so much, and dearly wants us to come back to Him. Our children already have that promise made sure. They will be with Him. They are here to encourage us to make it back, too. Their earthly assignment can be summed up to this: teach, encourage, and love with the hope that there will be No Empty Chairs In Heaven.