by Jennifer Dyer
As I pulled up to Rachel's school this morning, I mulled over how much she's changed. She first started full-time school two-and-a-half years ago. Each day included a terrible fight, screaming, kicking, and throwing tantrums. And that was before we got into the car. Some observation revealed issues in her classroom the administration was not willing to fix, so we changed schools.
Since she started at her current school, we've still had our share of woes: resistance to hair brushing, stripping naked, spitting, screaming, refusal to enter the classroom, resistance to wearing clothes and pull-ups—some days it took two or three of us to get her dressed. And we've had tons of potty accidents along the way. I can't remember how many times I've had to scrub the carpet and the walls.
But just as all seasons pass, so some of these have, as well. Not quickly, mind you, but many behaviors are fading as she ages mentally. In part, I believe I've gleaned this perspective from our involvement in Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). We work on one skill at a time, one step at a time. We only have to worry about what our coordinator has assigned for the week, not what Rachel will do for a career 20 years from now. It's been a huge relief.
And isn't that a lot like Jesus? When we give our lives to Him, He does not send us a list of every problem we will have in life, nor a list of our naughty deeds, such as the one Santa Claus supposedly keeps. Jesus loves us where we are each day and waits patiently while we move through each stage of development. What a wonderful God we serve.
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