My wife Betsy works with a child who has autism. He’s a tough cookie. He has bitten her, scratched her, hit her and kissed her. She never knows what is coming next. She had lunch with his mom the other day. They were talking about him. He has a tumor in his head and they might have to operate on it. His mom was crying as she was talking about it. That struck me when Betsy told me about it. She did what any mother would do, cry for her son.
What a son to cry for. In all probability he will never become independent. She may have to take care of him her entire life. He doesn’t experience affection the same way that you or I do. This woman will never experience the affectionate give and take that she experienced with her parents. Her son just doesn’t respond in the same way as other children. She will never experience the deep bond that I have with my kids. It breaks my heart thinking about it.
And yet this woman loves her autistic son just as much as I love my children. And she gives more to him than I do because it is a lot harder to take care of him. The Urantia Book tells us on page 942 that in a “true family” the attitude of the “Creator to his children” is revealed through the parents. That is certainly true in this case. If this woman and her husband unconditionally love their autistic child how much more does God love us even when we are unlovely? How many of us have disappointed our creator by being unable to have the relationship with him that we should have? And he loves us anyway.
God bless you,
William Whitehead
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