“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trust in Him! (Psalm 34:8).

I believe that special needs children have a special connection with God. While I was in Asia I had several foster children. All boys except one precious angel. She was physically and cognitively delayed and couldn’t speak. She had a smile though that would illuminate a room.

Every night I would tuck her in bed and sing to her, “Jesus Loves Me.” Every night, her gaze would go past my face and look straight up. The joy in her smile was enlightening.

One of my foster boys had been abandoned. God allowed me the privilege and blessing of adopting him and calling him my own. Josh is also a special needs child. He is non-verbal, low-functioning, autistic, with high sensory issues. All those identifications are important.

This week Josh had eye surgery. His pupils would move all over the place, like a hummingbird around a feeder…just not that quickly. The second specialist who had seen him twice informed me that the condition was getting worse. I was not apprehensive about the surgery – they had completed the surgery hundreds of times. I was nervous about the recovery. A child cognitively two to four years old does not understand pain. The recovery was supposed to be difficult, at least the first week.

The first day was extremely difficult. Trying to keep my son’s hands out of his eyes, severe pain, even after pain medication. And, as has happened many times before, there was no phone signal to call a doctor for advice. All I could do was pray and try to comfort him. I had people around the globe praying for him even before the surgery.

Josh finally fell asleep and slept like a baby snuggling to his mother. Perfect peace all night. In the morning, another miracle…there seemed to be no pain. Each day amazing improvement. Answered prayer.

The doctor on the follow-up visit today was happy and I believe a little surprised. I was not surprised. I have seen God do many more miraculous things than just a touch of His hand on a child’s eyes.

The amazing thing for me? Taking my son walking on day two and day three and day four. Watching him look at the world in a whole new light. Even though tired and a little weak, he wanted to keep walking and keep looking. He would smile, laugh, or stop me and hug me and give me a kiss! Simply joy for him and gratefulness to God from me.

Some days, many days these days, we don’t need a new set of eyes, or need to have our eyes surgically straightened. We need to straighten our focus. We are looking at a world so torn right now, when right in front of us, every day, are simple things full of beauty. We need to look at people and our world through the eyes of Jesus, with love, patience, and understanding. We need to look at all things created, and focus on the Creator.

Thank you, God, for your protective care and healing of Josh’s eyes. Thank you, Josh, for helping me focus more on Jesus this week. Find out for yourself that the LORD is good.