As part of my ministry, I often hear from parents with children who have some sort of special need. Whether it’s physical, academic, emotional or behavioral, your child’s special needs may also make your Christian parenting journey a bit (or a lot) more challenging. You may be experiencing things on a daily basis other parents may never have to navigate.
I am always looking for resources to help these amazing parents. It can be an isolating parenting journey and this ministry was created to help every Christian parent feel a little less alone. So, I was excited to find Bible Promises for Parents of Children with Special Needs by Amy Mason.
Although every parent’s journey is different, Mason does have a child with special needs. She has walked at least part of the road you are walking. As a result, she knows many of the topics that concerned her may concern you, too.
The book is arranged by topic and contains over 120 of them. Within each topic, there may also be more than one scenario or concern that is addressed. She covers everything from a wide variety of emotions to special topics like beauty and God’s timing.
What I love is that she doesn’t put a lot of extra commentary in the book. At most, there may be a paragraph, but quite a few entries have no commentary at all. She lets God’s Word speak to the reader without hiding it in her own thoughts and opinions. I appreciate she understands the amazing power found in reading God’s Words for yourself.
What she does though is help readers save time they probably don’t have. She pulls out the verses she finds most helpful on a topic and captures them for the reader. There are usually only a handful of passages for each topic and sub-topic, so it’s not overwhelming to read and focus on the verses.
My only wish is that she had chosen a translation other than the New Living. As a paraphrase and not a word for word translation, it can be a little less accurate. If she wanted an easier reading level, the NIrV is on a third grade reading level, but is a translation and not a paraphrase. Thankfully, she provides the scripture references so you can easily look it up in a better translation and make sure you get the most accuracy you can get.
Although, the verses are lifted out of context, I think for the most part they are stand alone verses. Context would help, but doesn’t necessarily change the meaning of the verses she chose. Once again, if you are concerned, you can look up the verses and find the context you want.
Honestly, although marketed for parents of children with special needs, the vast majority of the book would apply to any parent. The way those topics manifest themselves in your life may look a bit different, but since there is little commentary, you can make your own applications.
I would suggest this as a present to any parent with a child who has some special needs. It doesn’t assume anything about their journey, but could provide them with encouragement and strength when they need it.
A copy of this book was given to me for free in exchange for my honest review. An affiliate link is included for your convenience.