Our Advocate
I will ask the Father and He will give you another Advocate,
who will never leave you.
John 15:16 (NLT)
who will never leave you.
John 15:16 (NLT)
One of the most important roles an autism or special-needs parent will have is that of advocate. We advocate for the physical, emotional, legal, educational, social, and financial assistance their diagnosis requires. While most special-needs individuals are assigned case workers and service providers to ensure they receive these essential services, the fact remains that parent are the ones who know their child's needs better than anyone else. Therefore, it is crucial for parents to be actively involved. An advocate can be the difference between thriving or perpetual struggle.
In her book, Different Dream Parenting, author Jolene Philo says, "We advocate for our children in health care, governmental, and educational agencies on earth. We should advocate in the spiritual realm as well. Through prayer, we can advocate before God on behalf of our children." (1)
Much like our children, we also need an advocate, someone who understands our limitations, our failures, and our daily struggles. So God sent His Spirit, knowing we often struggle to verbalize our requests, whether for ourselves or on behalf of our children. Furthermore, He knows we don't always recognize what we truly need.
I find it incredibly heartening that God has given us an advocate who will never leave us. Because He knows each one of us better than anyone else does, we can rest assured He is on our side, pleading our case before the Father. He knows our longings, our weaknesses, our concerns, our limitations, and He brings them all before the throne of grace.
If it matters to us, it matters to Him.
In her book, Different Dream Parenting, author Jolene Philo says, "We advocate for our children in health care, governmental, and educational agencies on earth. We should advocate in the spiritual realm as well. Through prayer, we can advocate before God on behalf of our children." (1)
Much like our children, we also need an advocate, someone who understands our limitations, our failures, and our daily struggles. So God sent His Spirit, knowing we often struggle to verbalize our requests, whether for ourselves or on behalf of our children. Furthermore, He knows we don't always recognize what we truly need.
I find it incredibly heartening that God has given us an advocate who will never leave us. Because He knows each one of us better than anyone else does, we can rest assured He is on our side, pleading our case before the Father. He knows our longings, our weaknesses, our concerns, our limitations, and He brings them all before the throne of grace.
If it matters to us, it matters to Him.
[1] Jolene
Philo, Different Dream Parenting (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2016), Pg. 52.
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