What the enemy meant for harm God turned to good

Today I want to testify to the goodness of God in my own family.  I have 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl.  They are amazing and I thank God for each one of them.   3 of them were diagnosed on the Autism spectrum.  There were many difficult and horrible days, when they were younger but I give ALL Praise to God for bringing us through it all.

I didn't know anything about Autism or the spectrum until my youngest son was diagnosed at 8 years old.  At that stage I started to research and find out more and very quickly recognised the reason for the struggles that my daughter and older son were experiencing.

My older son was 18 when he was officially diagnosed.  It was a very long day, with the expert, but at the end of the day she explained to us the diagnosis and the impact it has had on his life.  I remember on the drive home, my son told me that he felt so relieved to find out what the problem was and he said  "I thought I was just crasy but now I know that I am not".   He is now 26, is engaged to a lovely girl, has a full time job and doing great.

When my daughter was in P5, we took the step to take her out of school and home school her instead, this was a very drastic step, and very few people understood why we were doing it.  But it was the right thing for us to do at that time, for her own health.  She did great with home schooling and I remember one day about 6 months into home schooling she looked up into my face and said "Mum,now I know that I'm not stupid".  She really struggled with the classroom environment and had almost disappeared into herself.  So she enjoyed the safe and quiet environment of being at home.  And really excelled in her school work.  Later when she reached GCSE level she decided to go back to school.  This was a bad move.  And caused many tears, depression, many health issues and finished with an overdose, and endless hours of counselling that didn't help.  She is now 22 and is doing great.  She has her own flat, drives her own car and has a full time job.  She knows her own limits and has worked out her own ways of coping with things.  But knows that God is on her side and he works all things together for good.

My youngest son is now 16.  He is enjoying a course at the local tech and doing well.  When he started high school, they told me had the reading skills of a 6 year old, then in 4th year they told me he had the reading skills of an 8 year old.  Thankfully he had full time 1 to 1 assistant with a lovely lady who was with him throughout high school and really understood his needs.  Every day when I would leave him to school, I would pray God's blessing and favour on him as he would walk into school.  I began to thank God that he could read really well.  I remember the day he came out of school and said "Mum, We did a reading exam today and I was number 1 in the class". He said the teacher was so pleased that she kept on and on about it all day.  I was rejoicing inside with Praise to my God.

If I had just listened to all the advice that I received from teachers and doctors, I know that things would have ended very differently.  I have learned that God is interested in all the little areas of my life not just the big things.  His peace and strength has made the difference in my family.  He has brought us through and is still working in our lives.

This song that I have chosen today is beautifully sung by Eilish, and was recorded during worship, (so not the best recording)  but just listen to the words - "Something happened and now I know He touched me and made me whole" - "All my confusion, He understood, All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife but He made something beautiful of my life"

If you will invite Jesus into your life and learn how to let him into and trust him in every area of your life, He will strengthen you, He will give you peace and help you to discover something beautiful in your own life.  Most of the time, we can't see the potential in ourselves - but the one who created you knows all about you.  You are loved with an everlasting love and He can turn what was meant to harm you around for good.  He understands all the confusion, all the questions.  He understands all the brokenness and all the strife in your heart.  And he desires to make something beautiful of you life.

xx Audrey