I remember reading this prayer
daily during the first two years since Isabella was diagnosed. This is what
helped me take things a day at a time, because when things get too overwhelming,
prayer was my comfort to help get me through the day.
In my daily praying, I have learned to let go and
pass on some of the responsibility I felt to HIM. The burden is lightened in accepting
that God is in charge and trusting that he is with you, and to take on all of
it was intensely overwhelming and defeating. I have no control of what there
is/was and there was comfort in knowing that I can “Cast your burden on the Lord . . . . (Isaiah 9:6).
---------------------------------------------
Lord God,
I am here
today to praise and thank you for the challenges that you give me. I know that
your plans for providing these trials goes beyond teaching me something… your
plans include changing me into something, molding my character so that I may
become a better version of myself yesterday.
Lord I praise
and thank you for challenges that you have prepared for me daily. I trust that
your plans are good, and that your will is always good. Lord I apologize for
having finite understanding that sometimes I struggle in accepting things as
they are. I apologize for missing out on the little blessings and miracles
every day because I focus too much on what is not there. I am sorry that
sometimes I overlook the good things and that I take things for granted. Remind
me everyday Lord that there is always something to find that I can praise and
thank you for. That there are things, no matter how small, that I can be
grateful for. Teach me Lord to appreciate the things can sometimes be guised as
challenges because good things are hiding behind these trials and that all that
I need to do is to persevere and be patient.
Lord, I am
also here today to lift up to you my fears, my apprehensions and my doubts…
Lord I lift up to you all the concerns in my heart.
Lord I lift up
to you my child. I wish for her to grow up happy and loving. Let her know and
feel that she is loved because she is. Grant her health, and be with her in
every seizure, surgery, doctor’s appointment, medical procedure, etc. Be with
her in her daily tasks, most especially the ones that most people find simple
to do, but takes a lot for her to
accomplish. Guide her and hold her in your hands. Give her an indomitable spirit
so she will keep trying her best and push herself beyond her limits or the
dictates of her disability. As for me Lord, help me to just love her more
whenever I find that days are challenging. Shower me with more love for her
because there are definite moments that I need to feel more of that.
Lord I lift up to you
my son. Give him compassion so that he may be able to process his own understanding
of what it is like to be a part of a family with a child with special needs.
Guide him through his own journey into understanding and acceptance. Grant him
patience and the words to help him communicate and educate his peers. I wish
that he grows up knowing that he is loved too and that he is never neglected
nor forgotten whenever the focus is on his sister. Grant him more love for his
sister and from us and may he grow up as his sister’s advocate and protector.
Lord I lift up to you
my spouse. Make him understand my many complicated emotions. Help us connect
and communicate that we may always find a middle ground or compromise for the
tough decisions we have to make and for the resolution of conflicts that we
will face. Grant us lord the gift of finding quality time for each other and be
able to always reassure and comfort each other. Remind us Lord everyday of the
love that we have for each other prior to having our children. That the love is
still there though it may be hidden under a pile of chores, errands, and
worries. Lord let us feel that love every now and then to give us a boost or a
nudge when we most need it. Lord we pray that you help us keep our relationship
strong because we will need each other for the many other trials ahead. Keep us
together as we weather the storms.
Lord I lift up to you
the people around me, that I can trust them to be understanding of my child,
and that the people that work with her have genuine care for her. Grant the doctors,
nurses, teachers, and the specialists that work with my child the knowledge and
education that is necessary to help her reach her goals. I pray that they are
as invested as we are in our child’s development. Grant them compassion for us
too that sometimes daily life gets in the way and we may not be able to do all.
Grant them patience, and resourcefulness and creativity and compassion as they
work daily with my daughter. I pray for their health and bless them lord for
helping us through this journey of raising my daughter.
Lord I also lift up to
you myself. Grant me your grace so that I can keep on going. Help me to always
find strength within. Take out the anger, the bitterness, the envy, the self
pity, and the negativity in my heart. Take out the doubt and teach me to fully
trust your will. Remind me everyday Lord that you will never give me something
I cannot bear. Replace all these overwhelming emotions with feelings of joy and
acceptance and contentment…. of feelings that evoke faith and hope. Nourish my
spirit with wisdom and courage to help me to keep on going in the face of
challenges. Grant me perseverance. Grant me peace of mind. Grant me a joyful
heart.
Lord, for all the
other things that I have forgotten to praise and thank you for, I say thank
you. For all the things that I have no words to lift up to you, I offer to you.
My heart is in your hands dear God. I offer it to you wholly. Hold it in the
palm of your hand. Teach me God to be still in the midst of chaos and trust
that that is exactly when your best work happens. Lord let me know that you are
there all the time and that you will always, always carry me through because
you are God.
All this I ask in your
name.
Amen.
