What do you think of when you hear the word “family?” Is it your Mom and Dad? Brothers and sisters? Children, perhaps?

Family can mean so many things to people. We all might define “family” differently depending on our situation. I think that how we grew up plays a big role in how we define this term and also how close we are to our biological family.

But just because you are not related by blood, doesn’t mean that you don’t consider some people family. I am sure that we all have that “Aunt” who is not really our Aunt but a close friend of our Mom’s.

If you are a parent with a child who has autism, at times being in a biological family can be very lonely. People may not understand the struggles you are going through or how to help you when you need it. In these cases, sometimes an on-line family or a support group can be the way that you need to connect in order to keep your sanity.

To be honest, autism is very draining on families. Spouses have nothing left to give each other at the end of the day. Other siblings may feel left out or resentful of their sibling living with autism, and extended family just may not know how to help.

When our children were younger, we experienced all of these situations. Some days were extremely lonely and isolating and it was hard to get through the days at times.

The great thing is that we not only have a biological family, but we also have a church family. If you are a believer, or even attend church for that matter, the family of God is probably the most important family of all. Why, you may ask? Well, because God is perfect and He will never leave us or forsake us as it says in the Bible. He will never let us down. He will always be there with His arms wide open ready to embrace us and He will continue to walk along side us each day.

When we cry, God know and He cares. He sees each and every one of us and He knows us better than anyone else. He knows our thoughts, our fears, our joys – all of it.

I have found that our Amberlea Church family has been so important in the life of our family. When we first came to the church, they knew little about autism. We had to figure out how we were going to fit in so that we would be able to worship God as a family. Through trial and error and lots of discussions, we finally have it figured out and we are so grateful to our “Amberlea family”. For being so open, their patience in being able to accommodate special needs and just to be accepting and loving towards people of all abilities.

When I talk to people in our church, I realize how much people care. They are willing to help in whatever way they can make inclusivity a vital part of our church family and for that I am truly grateful.

Shelly Wedge
Exceptional Family Ministries Coordinator
Amberlea Church