Answered Prayer

One of the greatest blessings and answer to prayer our family has ever received came in the form of a small but mighty psychologist named Dr. A.  When life was at its most difficult (about 6-7 yrs ago) and Bub was a whirlwind of emotion, frustration, intolerance, and anxiety, I was at wit's end.  In desperate prayer I asked God for the wisdom to know how to deal with Bub in an effective and loving way.  I fully admitted to having no skills to deal with any of this, to being ignorant and poorly-equipped to handle such a force, that was my little six-year-old hurricane.

It wasn't long after that tearful prayer that a woman at church, who had a teen with Asperger's, mentioned to me that her son benefited greatly from seeing this doctor, and she gave me her phone number.  I called at my first opportunity only to be told there was a waiting list for Dr. A and it could be years.  It was a closed door.  I put Bub's name on the list and asked for another referral, of which they had none.  My hope was again shattered.

Then a phone call came a few days later.  The receptionist from Dr. A's office told me that Dr. A was training a new professional and was looking for a child with Aspergers to work with.  Bub had jumped the entire list and now had an appointment, not only with Dr. A but with a new therapist as well.  We were elated.

Bub had been to see several other therapists over the years but none of them seemed to have a good grasp of what made him tick.  When we got to see Dr. A, all that changed.  Here was a woman who seemed to not only understand Bub's mind, but into ours as parents as well.  She challenged us to look at our own "filters" through which we were seeing the world.  The projections we put on situations based on our own experiences, often from childhood.  She pointed out areas in which we didn't even realize we were weak, and never failed to cheer for us in the smallest moments of triumph.

Dr. A. changed everything.  She was the firefighter who put out our burning family.  We have been so blessed to work with this quirky, tell-it-like-it-is, insightful and amazing doctor. There have been times when her words have injured me because of their soul-baring truth, but I have been made stronger because of it.  And most importantly, through changes we've made, Bub has learned to handle life better.  We've learned to clean up our own messes as parents and by doing that, we parent more effectively. 

We still have our challenges, almost daily, but we don't feel different than any other family anymore.  Our problems may not be as typical as most families', but they aren't usually anymore disruptive either. 

Dr. A. was absolutely brought into our lives through prayer.  We've seen numerous answered prayers in our family lives, and because of that I want to encourage anyone and everyone to turn to God and never underestimate what he can do for you.