“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Whose future plans are better? Yours or God’s? God’s—obviously.
This verse might make you envision students graduating, ready to venture off into the great unknown. However, the context of this verse if far from the dreams of adolescents and young adults leaving for college or entering into the workforce of adulthood. However, this message was for the exiles, who were terrified of what their future held.
Before this verse, God says—to paraphrase—“Hunker down, folks. Make the best of the world around you because you’re not going anywhere for a long while.” BUT, after that long while, he reveals HOPE. The hope that God has a plan for them and that they can trust him. He also paints a nail-biting picture for the folks they think are better off—the people not exiled, who got to stay in Jerusalem. Read verses 16-23 and you’ll find the grass was definitely NOT greener on the other side…
What does this have to do with raising neurodivergent kids? Well, this week’s devotion is my way of saying that there’s hope. Sometimes the world feels like it’s falling apart. Sometimes we feel exiled from our promised life. Maybe your relationship with your child is struggling. Maybe they’re having educational issues or behavior problems. Is there a looming feeling of “what’s the point?” No matter what you’re facing, God has not abandoned you.
You are not forsaken.
He sees you and has a future plan for whatever situation you’re facing. Romans 8:28 mirrors this. It says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
I understand that it doesn’t seem fair. My mom suffered a TBI when I was an infant. Dad abused mom. Mom left and moved in with her parents, who raised me. Then after my grandparents died and/or lost health bad enough, my mom had to move in with my husband and me. After a year of attempting to teach my mom basic budgeting skills and good eating habits (to little avail), she got into a low-income apartment. Still, her life couldn’t be 100% independent.
Then I adopted a child, who had the worst terrible two and threes I’d ever seen and eventually was diagnosed with ADHD and autism. God only knows if she’ll be 100% independent one day. I suppose my childhood and young adulthood prepared me for Kayla, but sometimes I ask if I’ll ever catch a break.
But then I remember there is hope. To hope is to intentionally put trust in something or someone. Hope is more than just a feeling. It’s something substantial that those who believe in Christ can hold tight. It’s a lifeline. God is sovereign. He cares and gives us the strength we need when we need it. He won’t forsake us. He won’t let us escape the trials of life, but he will guide us through, and he has a plan.
Play the cards you are dealt. Make the best of the life you have. God has your future plans in his capable hands.
What exile are you living in?
How do you keep your hope alive?
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