May 21, 2024
Melissa Valerio
Since becoming a mom of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, I’ve been fascinated with learning about all the different ways the spectrum is displayed. Some kids are intellectually delayed, some are geniuses. Some kids stim, some don’t. Some kids are sensitive to sounds, some aren’t. Some kids are verbal, some aren’t. It can be difficult to have a conversation with most of them, but one thing I’ve realized in all of this….they understand far more than we realize or sometimes give them credit for.
This article is about a woman named Jordyn Zimmerman who has ASD. She is non-verbal yet found her voice through a speaking device designed to help people who are non-verbal communicate. Her story is an amazing one! For her entire childhood she was unable to communicate her thoughts to her family. It wasn’t until she was a young adult that she started using this communication app to share her thoughts and feelings with the world. And that opened up a myriad of opportunities for her. She now sits on the President’s Committee for People with Disabilities.
Why does God make some people talk and some not? Who has the answer to that? He just does. He told Moses in Exodus 4:11, “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (CSB) I think about the individuals back then who had ASD and how difficult it must have been to live your entire life without being able to be heard. Having so much to say and not able to say it. And here we are in 2024, inventing devices that speak for you. If only Moses had these devices back then. What would the people have said? Maybe one day in Heaven we’ll get to hear all that was on their mind. No only for those back then, but for those here and now.
Prayer: Blessed King Jesus, thank You for the ability to speak. Now tune our hearts to those that cannot and bend our ear to what they have to say. Help us connect with them and give them our listening ears. They must have so much to say. In Your holy name, Amen.
Action: We are privileged to be able to speak what’s on our hearts and minds. What a shame to have the ability and choose not to use it. The next time you’re faced with a troubling relationship, ask God to give you the courage to express yourself truthfully, gently, respectfully, and above all, lovingly.
image: freepik.com