Raising Special Stars: Sixteen Weeks of Empowerment for Moms Raising Children with Special Needs

By Mattie Book

All too often, mothers of children with special needs find themselves in the dark, facing struggles few people understand. But author Mattie Book reminds us that it was in the dark that God placed the stars. She encourages moms to run to God’s throne, see in high definition, climb to high altitudes, and walk on the waves that rage against them.

Raising Special Stars offers empowerment for moms who have children with special needs. This sixteen-week Bible study addresses the loss, loneliness, and obstacles moms face when navigating through motherhood with kids that have unique challenges. Each week provides truth and insightful perspectives for those that find themselves on paths that they did not plan. Here mothers will find relatable experiences and shared struggles, as well as confidence and security in God’s promises. This is an invitation to see the stars shine from a different point of view and become fueled with purpose for the journey that was set apart for our children.

If you are a woman raising children with special needs, Raising Special Stars can bring you hope and purpose on your journey that shines a little differently.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664206106

Mattie Book

Mattie Book holds a master’s degree in nursing education and writes a blog for women called Dwell at the Well. Her love for Jesus is contagious, and she hopes to meet readers where they are to encourage them with God’s Word and equip them with God’s promises. She and her husband, Zachary, live with their two daughters in Michigan.

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 Mattie Book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0611-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0612-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0610-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020918200

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/12/2020

For my daughters, Hannah

and Elaina

You two shine bright like the stars and have

inspired me more than you will ever know.

I am forever grateful to be your mom.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Week 1 Look Up, Love

SECTION 1

Week 2 Lazarus: His Presence is a Present in the Present

Week 3 Martha: A Sister on the Move

Week 4 Mary: The Sister That Stayed

Week 5 Worth the Stop

SECTION 2

Week 6 High Altitudes

Week 7 The Joy Step

Week 8 Anointed, Appointed, and Equipped

SECTION 3

Week 9 Ring In

Week 10 Hope Like That! Pick Up Your Mat!

Week 11 Mom of Many Hats

Week 12 High Definition (Fight for Your Sight)

SECTION 4

Week 13 Windy Weather

Week 14 Walking on Water

Week 15 Fearless Focus

Week 16 Faithful Feet

Conclusion

Foreword

Have you ever desired to be somewhere other than where you currently are? A new destination? A new perspective? A new heart posture? Do you yearn for clear steps to carry you there?

Mattie Book invites us into those steps—strides of hopeful possibility, joy, and true transformation. She invites us in because she herself takes those steps toward our heavenly Father, whom she has grown to trust immensely and steps toward carrying His love to people. Mattie radiates Jesus’s love as she tenderly holds her sweet children’s hands, listens—like really listens to people’s stories—and beckons us all to see moments of delight and joy in the unseen treasures of each day. May you relish the encounter of her contagious positivity and vision of loving truth for each family as you dive into the journey of the following pages.

Both you and your child have a remarkable place in God’s redemptive story. Mattie believes you can see God’s intentionality, feel His presence, and trust His love. I do too.

You are seen and entrusted to care for each precious child lovingly placed in your family.

As you desire goodness amid darkness, power amid helplessness, and nearness amid isolation, may you experience Mattie’s heart for stories of God’s invitation, belonging, and fullness for each of us.

What God begins, He will complete. Let’s look up together.

Ang Bryant

Acknowledgments

First, I want to thank Jesus for giving me the stars to gaze at on the darkest of nights. Thank You for using our hardships for good and for giving me identity, belonging, and purpose in Your kingdom. Thank You for equipping me time and time again and for teaching me to walk above the chaos. Thank You for seeing me when I felt the rest of the world didn’t, and thank You for using my gifts to pursue the few. I am a wife, mom, nurse, and friend, but I will always be your daughter first!

A special thank-you to my husband, Zachary, for all the love and support you give to your family. You lead our family to the feet of Jesus every day, and I cherish you. I could never thank you enough for all you do to be an intentional husband and father. I fall more in love with you every day.

Also, a special thank-you to my best friend, Tabitha, for being willing to visit Holland so frequently. You love our family in action and in truth. I will always be thankful for our friendship. Thank you for seeing the wine in my glass when all I could see was the water!

Introduction

I once read an essay, Welcome to Holland, that I could relate to. It described the journey of having a child with special needs. Once I read it, I felt like a piece of my heart was home, like everything I had always tried to explain to everyone about our journey was described perfectly. God knew as I read it that in time I wouldn’t just think about it. I’d actually write a book to all the women who lived in this place called Holland. I had to journey a little bit, though, and figure my way around. I had to look up and see the stars when it got dark. I had to meet with Jesus in places I never imagined I would go. This essay is special to me, and I believe it will be special to you too.

***

Welcome to Holland

©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of the author.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability—to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this … …

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip—to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The flight attendant comes in and says, Welcome to Holland.

Holland?!? you say. What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.

But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around … and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills … and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy … and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away … because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But … if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.

***

I have found that living in my Holland, a land I never would have chosen, has given me the opportunity to develop an unwavering faith, an anchored hope, and an inspiring perseverance. In Holland, I was given different views to savor and various perspectives to consider. I may have never chosen to raise our family in this place called Holland, but I have decided to see the rainbows and cling to God’s promises in the land I never knew I would reside. The Bible has become my map for navigating through the many unknowns in our journey, and Jesus has taken my hand to lead me through the hills and valleys of a place I never expected to be.

But it wasn’t always that way. Every morning my little girls run into our room when they wake up. They yell, Mommy, Mommy, we’re awake. Can we go watch TV now? Sometimes I say yes, and other times I yell back for them to go back to bed—you know, those mornings when they bombard us at 5:00 a.m.

Sometimes I tell them to