<\/p>\n
\u201cLord, I don\u2019t understand\u2026 but I trust you.\u201d Have you ever told God you don\u2019t understand the challenges he puts in the life of your child with disabilities? Have you ever wondered how to move from not understanding Him to trusting Him? In this post guest blogger Sandy Ramsey-Trayvick offers an answer that may surprise you and give you hope.<\/em><\/p>\n As special needs parents, we can experience so many circumstances with our kids that we didn\u2019t expect or don\u2019t understand. When the diagnosis comes; or when the prognosis is difficult; or when we\u2019re being bombarded with bad news, it can be so easy to succumb to disappointment. We don\u2019t understand why God allowed this or why He didn\u2019t do that. We\u2019re faced with disappointment again when we expect God to show up in a certain way at a certain time or do a certain thing, and He doesn\u2019t. We\u2019re disappointed and confused and we don\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n We may wrestle with how to reconcile our unmet expectations and desires with our beliefs about what a faithful, trustworthy God would do\u2014should<\/em> do<\/strong>\u2014in those situations. If we\u2019re not careful, we can begin to quietly\u2014in our hearts\u2014correlate our circumstances to the character of God. We start to wonder whether or not God is faithful or good or\u2026 something else. Rather than taking our disappointments and questions directly to the Lord, we may suppress or hide those feelings. Meanwhile, as our disappointments and questions remain unaddressed, our hearts are quietly hardening towards God.<\/p>\n Some of us may have been taught to not question God. That to do so was dishonoring to Him or indicative of a lack of faith or maturity. As a result, we allow our unspoken questions and deep disappointments to lead our hearts and trust away from God rather than us leading those same questions and disappointments to the only One who can answer them.<\/strong><\/p>\n The truth is that God not only allows our questions, He welcomes them. God wants to hear our questions and disappointments.<\/strong> (He already knows we have them.) Sharing them with Him invites a dialogue<\/strong>\u2014a conversation.<\/p>\n Over time, honest conversation builds an authentic, intimate relationship. It invites friendship with God, which leads to trust.<\/strong> We learn to trust Him because we\u2019ve spent time with Him and we know Him. Not because our circumstances are perfect or because we understand or even like everything He\u2019s doing, but because we know<\/em> Him.<\/p>\n I heard someone say that, when God doesn\u2019t answer her prayers or show up in the way that she\u2019d hoped, she\u2019s learned to start telling herself, \u201cGod must be up to something.\u201d This perspective, she admitted, was born out of her relationship with God. From spending time talking and listening to the Lord. Getting to know Him, His character, His ways, and His love for her.<\/p>\n What if we adopted that same mindset? A perspective that says, \u201cWhen God doesn\u2019t do what I\u2019d hoped or expected, rather than doubting or losing hope, I choose to believe that God must be up to something. Something bigger. Something better. Something that I don\u2019t know to ask Him for yet.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> This would mean choosing to trust Him in spite of things we don\u2019t understand. It means believing that, despite my disappointment, He is still for me. It means choosing to not make assumptions about His motives that don\u2019t line up with His character.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a mindset that comes from being in a relationship with Him.<\/strong><\/p>\n It enables us to make the leap from \u201cLord, I don’t understand\u201d<\/em> to \u201cbut I trust You.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Relationship.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the monthly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#b4dbc0″ custom_padding=”20px|20px|20px|20px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_blurb title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiJCeSAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsIm5hbWVfZm9ybWF0IjoiZGlzcGxheV9uYW1lIiwibGluayI6Im9uIiwibGlua19kZXN0aW5hdGlvbiI6ImF1dGhvcl9hcmNoaXZlIn19@” image=”https:\/\/differentdream.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sandy-Ramsey-Trayvick-231205.jpg” icon_placement=”left” image_icon_width=”100px” content_max_width=”800px” _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _dynamic_attributes=”title” header_font=”Rubik|500|||||||” header_text_color=”#44465f” header_font_size=”14px” header_line_height=”32px” body_font=”Rubik||||||||” body_text_color=”rgba(0,6,69,0.6)” body_link_text_color=”#ffffff” hover_enabled=”0″ custom_css_main_element=”font-weight: 400;” border_radii_image=”on|100px|100px|100px|100px” border_color_all_image=”#ffffff” box_shadow_style_image=”preset1″ box_shadow_vertical_image=”20px” box_shadow_blur_image=”40px” box_shadow_color_image=”rgba(68,70,95,0.27)” image_max_width=”100px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” title_text=”Sandy-Ramsey-Trayvick-231205″ sticky_enabled=”0″] Sandy and her husband are parents to three young adult children. Their son was diagnosed with multiple disabilities 24 years ago after a devastating illness as a toddler. Following her son\u2019s diagnosis, Sandy quit her job to become his full-time caregiver and advocate.<\/p>\n Sandy is currently a Certified Professional Coach. Her focus is to empower special needs parents who are feeling weary by helping them to renew their hope and strength and reactivate their joy.<\/p>\n You can learn more about Sandy and her work at\u00a0<\/span>www.UNDisabledLIVES.org<\/a>. You can also reach her at\u00a0<\/span>Sandy@UNDisabledLIVES.org<\/a>.<\/p>[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#42313A” button_bg_color=”#EBDCB2″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_comments][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”159deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”#42313A 0%|#EBDCB2 100%” background_color_gradient_start=”#42313A” background_color_gradient_end=”#EBDCB2″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” border_width_all=”3px” border_color_all=”#1c1259″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”25px|0px|5px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”horizontal_optin_column_1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ header_text_align=”right” header_text_color=”#45107a” header_3_font=”Dancing Script|700|||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#B4DBC0″ header_3_font_size=”45px” custom_margin=”10px||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”] Sandy Ramsey-Trayvick explains that a true relationship with God enables her to say, “Lord, I don’t understand, but I trust You.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"2880","footnotes":""},"categories":[3559,3615,3561,3583],"tags":[3067,533,4201,4214],"class_list":["post-42761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-different-dream","category-encouragement","category-special-needs-parenting","category-spiritual-support","tag-fear","tag-grief","tag-sandy-ramsey-trayvick","tag-trusting-god"],"yoast_head":"\nSubscribe for Updates from Jolene<\/h3>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_signup mailchimp_list=”JolenePhilo|89f719a52b” layout=”bottom_top” first_name_fullwidth=”off” last_name_field=”off” email_fullwidth=”off” module_class=”custom_emailoptin” _builder_version=”4.16″ form_field_focus_background_color=”#42313A” background_enable_color=”off” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”16px” button_text_color=”#42313A” button_bg_color=”#B4DBC0″ button_border_width=”2px” button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|||on|||||” button_use_icon=”off” button_custom_margin=”5px||||false|false” button_custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” border_width_all_fields=”2px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_signup][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ header_font=”EB Garamond|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#B6452C” header_font_size=”50px” header_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]
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