Different, Not Less: Why Our Children with Autism Are Still Chosen and Claimed

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” — Psalm 139:14

I don’t usually write about my own family here, but this one is too close to my heart to leave out.

My oldest daughter has autism. If you’re an autism parent, I don’t have to explain what that means. You already know the mornings that start before the sun, the meltdowns in the cereal aisle, the IEP meetings where you have to be your child’s lawyer and cheerleader at the same time, the well-meaning comments that land like stones. You know the exhaustion that goes deeper than sleep can fix.

And you also know the other side of it. The way she laughs at something nobody else noticed. The way she loves without an ounce of pretense. The way she sees the world from an angle the rest of us would never find on our own.

What God says about our children

The world has a lot of words for our kids. Delayed. Disordered. Different. Some of those words come with good intentions and some don’t, but none of them are the final word.

God’s word is the final word, and here is what He says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). “I have called you by name; you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1). “Fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

Not “wonderfully made, with an exception.” Not “claimed, once the therapy works.” Our children are chosen now, as they are. They belong now. They matter now. The diagnosis didn’t surprise God and it didn’t change His mind about them.

For the parent who is tired

If you’re reading this at the end of a hard day, I want you to hear three things:

• You are not alone. God sees every unseen thing you do, and so do more people than you realize.
• Your child is a gift, not a burden. Hard and holy can be true at the same time.
• God makes the climb lighter. Not easier, always. But lighter. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) was written for days like yours.

Why we made this collection

Every design in our Autism Awareness collection exists to say out loud what I needed to hear in the early years: different, not less. Still chosen. Still claimed. It’s for the mom who wants to wear her love on a shirt, the dad who needs a mug that gets it, the grandparent who wants to show up for a grandchild, the sibling who is proud of their brother or sister, and the teacher or therapist who goes above and beyond.

If you know an autism family, consider sending them something from it. Not because they need another thing, but because they need to be seen.

And if you are that family: you’re doing better than you think. Your baby belongs. God is not finished, and He is not far.

Shop the Autism Awareness collection →

A prayer for today: Lord, thank You for making my child exactly as they are. On the hard days, remind me that You carry what I can’t. On the good days, help me notice the joy. Give my child a sense of how deeply they are loved by me and by You. Amen.