As I sat in a restaurant today, I was sipping coffee and going over notes for an upcoming conference. Normally, I face away from the door because it is less distracting. Otherwise, I tend to look at every person that enters. I am not sure why, but today I sat right by the door and faced it. I saw every person that walked into the restaurant.

At one point, I looked up to see a woman trying to enter the restaurant. She was having difficulty getting a boy to come inside. The young lad looked to be about ten to twelve years old. He struggled with his mother. (I assume it was his mother.) He had a terror-stricken face. Finally, she had to pick up this boy, so he would come into the restaurant. As they walked through the door, the boy was so frightened, and then he covered both of his ears and kept them covered the whole time while in the restaurant. It became obvious that the boy was either non-verbal or limited verbally. He clung to this woman for dear life.

The woman had a large takeout order, so it took a while to get it ready. She held this child the entire time. As she headed back to her vehicle, this boy was still so frightened, and his mother held him so tightly, while the young man continued to cover both ears.

After observing this woman and her son, it became apparent to me that the boy was autistic. My heart melted for her. I have since prayed for both the mom and son.

My grandson Joseph, who is on the autism spectrum, recently celebrated his fourteenth birthday. Joseph is so loved by his family and by both sides of extended family. We love him deeply. I can testify that this boy has an enormous chunk of my heart. When Joseph’s official diagnosis revealed that he was on the ASD scale, we all cried many tears. Through much prayer, love and therapy, Joseph has made progress, but at times, it is still a challenge.

We personally have learned of several pastoral families, several friends, and acquaintances who have received the same diagnosis. When I speak at conferences and mention Joseph, there are always people in the audience whose lives are touched by autism. ALWAYS.

This is autism awareness month. ASD is not often talked about in Christian circles, yet autism affects so many families. I always cared about children with special needs, but when it touched my family, my caring went to a whole new level. There is a significant difference in day-to-day living in a home affected by this disorder and wearing a blue shirt that mentions autism.

Much can be done to help these children if therapy is started early. Often insurance will not cover all the child needs to improve their lives, and in some cases will cover nothing. While some free therapies are available, they often need more.

I have realized that, as the Church, we must be caring and prayerful for these families. For instance, does your church have any kind of ministry in place for families affected by autism? Does your church offer any kind of ministry to families with children who have special needs? The Church must minister to these families. It is a mission field.

I am thankful that our local church is trying to help these families through small groups where families can gather to support and pray for each other. Our church also has a ministry called The Haven, which is for all children with disabilities. The Haven allows a family to attend a church service. while their child is loved and cared for. Even a teen and adult Haven is offered.

I know of a small church in the Midwest that raised funds to set up a sensory room, utilized workers trained in this area, and used it as outreach. They immediately got new families – families who had never been able to regularly attend a church service.

The Church must step up. Do not close your eyes to this need. Ask other churches for ideas. Search the Internet for ministry ideas for children with special needs. Call that mom and ask her how she is today. Pray with her. Men, reach out to a man who is trying to be a dad to an atypical child.

One of the things we pray for Joseph is that he will have a close personal relationship with the Lord. We ask God to communicate with Joseph and visit him in his dreams. We ask God to let Joseph fulfill the purpose for which he was placed on the earth. God can do all these things and more!

Think about it. Pray about it. Care about it. But please do not ignore it. Why? Because autism matters, children with special needs matter, and families matter.

“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2.