It's ALL Working FOR You

When I was 15, I got asked to stay for two weeks with a girl who had severe autism. Her parents went on vacation out of the state and I was with her 24/7 without a break. The sweet girl I cared for was technically older than me but had the brain capacity of a toddler and the body of a ten year old. She was severely afraid of water, could not talk, and could not readily express emotion. It was a challenging two weeks. Imagine poop smeared on walls, struggles to get her to shower, and not being able to communicate.

One night after I got her to bed I found a CD and turned it on. The song that stood out to me and that I played over and over was, "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands." If you don't know it, it's an old American spiritual. The particular version I listened to was a robust, lively version and helped me not feel so lonely. Not your typical music for a 15 year old, but it really brought me peace and comfort to think of someone much bigger than me holding me and keeping me safe.

Fast forward to now. I currently have 8 children living at home and 3 that are moved out. In May, 6 of the kids at home will be teenagers- you can imagine the amount of food we go through, the loads of laundry washed each day, and the hormones that are a'raging! Last week I couldn't sleep and was feeling particularly heavy-hearted concerning some of the struggles my kids are facing. Nothing ever gets solved in the middle of the night (for me anyway) but I just could not shut my brain down.

Although it was well over 20 years ago, my mind brought me back to when I was 15 and how that song brought me comfort. I remembered the words, and imagined God holding His big, mighty hands open with me and each of my precious children in them. This thought finally helped me drift off to sleep.

Whether you believe in God or not, this same principle can be applied to the Universe or whatever "bigger than you" force you believe in. Some thoughts to practice around this are, "It's all working for me," "This is happening for me," "The universe is constantly conspiring in my favor," or simply, "God is in control." These same thoughts can help when thinking of your children too. Try on, "This is happening for them," or, "This is exactly what they need."

The great news is we don't have to have it all figured out. But we can let things unfold while trusting that it's all working for all of our good. All of it. Even the stuff that hurts. Leaning into that trust and away from fear has helped settle me many times. I am grateful for the peaceful reminder that night that truly, "He's got the whole world in His hands."