Giving Thanks for my Son's Allergies

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Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-20)

Really?  Give thanks always…and for everything?  You can’t be serious.  What about physical aliments, financial hardships, loss of a loved one, and just plain acts of evil?  How do you truly give thanks without feeling forced, fake or hypocritical?

One of the hardest things I have had to give thanks about has been my son’s food allergies.  The process of discovering, diagnosing, treating and adjusting to life with a son who has severe food allergies has been a huge trial in my life (I have blogged about those struggles in previous posts).  And it has been a trial that has revealed my weakness, failures, heart idols, fears, and lusts in more ways than I thought was ever possible.  In short, this trial has revealed my depravity in irrefutable ways.

It would be nice if I could distort the ugliness of my response to this trial by coloring it in a more glamorous way, to try and get some credit for the grace I received and lessons I learned…but that would not be true.  The only thing I can claim throughout this trial is that God has been true to His name.  He has been gracious, gentle and faithful to help me in my weakness.  He has been steadfast and irrevocable in His promises to love and pursue His children.  And it is only because of Him that I can stand here today and declare with all my heart that I am truly thankful for my son’s food allergies.  I am so glad that God allowed my son to have severe food allergies and I would not change it if I could.

I find it amazing the vast change in my heart and my ability to praise God and thank Him for my son’s allergies!  So much so that I wanted to write this blog post so I could record my thanks and praise to my Savior.

Thank you for my son’s food allergies because they have…

*… reminded me of my depravity and thus in turn highlighted my need for a Savior.

*…made hymns and praise music more vibrant and sweeter.

*…forced me to serve my family by learning to cook in new ways

*…reminded me that I am not sovereign and all-knowing in regards to control and wisdom for what is best in my son’s life

*…revealed that God’s ways are not are ways, for He does not make mistakes

*…fueled my ability to truly give thanks for FDA labeling laws, allergy menus, variety of food substitutions, and modern medicine.

*…helped shape my son’s personality, in his own thankfulness to try new foods

*…revealed new practical ways of God’s calling for me to submit to my husband, and the protection it provides when I am obedient to that calling.

*…allowed each verse that ministered to me in this trial to be held in my heart and committed to memory in a deeper and more vibrant way than it would have without the trial.

*…enabled me to now comfort those in similar trials because I can now testify about the steadfast love and unwavering faithfulness of my God to other’s whose faith may be weak and understanding dim as to how God could be working in their trial.

I will end with a quote of Psalm 77, which beautifully illustrates my own struggle and how God changed my heart to enable me to give thanks and praise my Savior.

77 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
² In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
³ When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

⁴ You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
⁵ I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
⁶ I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
⁷ “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
⁸ Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

¹⁰ Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
¹² I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
¹³ Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
¹⁵ You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

¹⁶ When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
¹⁷ The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
¹⁸ The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
²⁰ You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.