Lyrics of Life: Counting My Blessings

*This devotional was first shared on The Round Farmhouse Ministries Facebook and Instagram pages on June 7th, 2024. For more daily encouragement, check out The Round Farmhouse social media posts.

“My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits.” Psalm 103:2 (CSB)

In the rural community where we live, finishing kindergarten is a big celebration. The girls wear fancy dresses and shoes, and their moms curl their hair. The boys wear button up shirts, ties, dress pants, and dress shoes. All of these details about clothing might not seem like a big deal. However, as a mom of a neurodiverse child, clothing can be a meltdown trigger.

As the graduation begins, the kids wait patiently in the lobby for the teachers to call each child. They slowly make their way to the stage and sit in their assigned chairs. For a child with an auditory and proprioceptive sensory challenge, not knowing where his body is in comparison to the tall ceilings and loudspeaker system can be a meltdown trigger.

Next, the kids are called to the microphone to share their full name, birth date, favorite thing about kindergarten, and what they want to be when they grow up. Although they practice reciting this information, when you see rows of chairs and bleachers filled with friends and family that you recognize and lots of unfamiliar strangers, kids’ memories can lock up. This is another place for a meltdown trigger.

I share this, because in this one hour of time, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind many ways our child has grown over the last four years. From a toddler and preschooler who refused to wear a button up shirt, because it made his body feel painfully uncomfortable to his fear of high ceilings and loud noises, because his ears seemed to be extra sensitive to sound. To his former uncomfortableness of being around people he didn’t know well and singing and dancing in general.

This graduation ceremony carried more weight than signifying he had mastered the academic skills needed to finish kindergarten. Each part inspired me to reflect on Psalm 103:2 “My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits.”

Throughout the last four years, the Lord brought godly doctors, occupational therapists, teachers, and family members into our son’s life. Like me, they believed that God had a beautiful plan for our son and helped us put the pieces together of how we could rewire his sensory processing system to help him thrive. As I think about the beautiful ways our son was able to enjoy his graduation ceremony, I can’t help but to thank the Lord with a grateful heart.

Friend, you might not be walking a neurodiverse journey with your child, but my hunch is if you reflect, you will recognize the ways He is working in your life, too. The song that I keep playing on repeat is Seph Schlueter’s “Counting by Blessings.” If you need some inspiration for how to put Psalm 103:2 into practice in your life, I encourage you to give it a listen, too.