And from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” // Matthew 17:18-20
One new message. It was a message from my son’s teacher in the parent-teacher app. My stomach dropped. Earlier in the academic year, I had been receiving a lot of these messages. Our son’s first-grade teacher alerted us to episodes of big feelings causing disruptions, difficulties following instructions, and—most pressing—his struggles with early reading and writing, causing low self-esteem.
Last fall, I felt like a failure as a mother. I hadn’t gotten him enough help as a toddler. I chastised myself and wept for his struggles. But with encouragement from our loved ones, we requested an evaluation by the school. He was given extra classroom support and tools to help him manage those big feelings. Fast-forward, I opened the message from his teacher and it was a picture of our son holding up a sentence he wrote.
If I had googly eyes for eyes I will take them off my eyes so I can see. It would be funny because I will laugh. It would be bad because I couldn’t see.
Our son had written this independently and earned a special lunch due to his hard work.
I broke down in happy tears. I had been praying that something would “click” for him this year in his language arts. But mostly, I prayed that he’d find his confidence in himself. He got home later that day and told us all about his special lunch with the teacher, and I just sat in awe at his progress. I had googly eyes for him.
I spent so much time doubting my abilities to support my son’s needs. But I know that doubt is not of the Lord. Nothing is impossible with Him. When I finally laid it all down, told others of my concerns, and let the professionals do their jobs, we were surrounded by support, resources, and love.
Our son’s academic and behavioral road will be long, but I know I can lay my concerns, worries, and heartache at the foot of the Cross.
Sister, what have you been holding close to your heart? What worries can you share with the Lord? Invite Him into your struggles as the perfect Comforter.
Dr. Samantha Aguinaldo-Wetterholm is a wife and mom to four little ones and practices dentistry at a public health community center for low income families in the Bay Area, California. She (unashamedly) thinks ice cream is its own food group and does not leave the house without wearing sparkly earrings. She was a contributing author to All She Had. and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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