SharePoint
Sign In
Help
ADN logo

Slow Your Roll
 

  • Home
NavigationSearch
  • Home
    • About
      • Our Mission and Vision
      • Our History
      • Who Are Anabaptists?
      • Our Staff
      • Field Associates
      • Board of Directors
      • Annual Reports
      • Staff Openings
    • Get Involved
      • Congregational Advocates
      • Partner Congregations
      • Accessibility in all aspects of church life
      • Barrier-Free Grant
    • NewsletterCurrently selected
      • Latest issue
      • Previous issues
      • Subscribe
    • Blog
      • Latest Posts
      • Subscribe
      • All Posts
    • Resources
      • Accessibility and Awareness
        • Accessibility
        • Accessibility Audits
        • Awareness
        • Changing Attitudes
        • Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
      • MC USA Accessibility Resolution and Study Guide
      • ADN Books
      • ADN Disability Language Guide
      • Barrier-Free Grant
      • Book and Media Recommendations
      • Caregivers
        • Circles of Care
        • Families
        • Support Groups
      • Congregational Assessment Survey
      • COVID-19 Resources
      • Disability Topics
        • ADHD
        • Autism spectrum
        • Disabilities of Aging
        • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
        • For the Deaf
        • Hearing Loss
        • Hidden disabilities
        • Intellectual disabilities
        • Mobility Impairment
        • Vision Disabilities
      • Faith Formation & Worship
        • Children
        • Classroom Accessibility
        • For Church leaders
        • Book Reviews
        • Our Speakers
        • Youth
      • From Other Faith Traditions
      • On Mental Health
        • Children and Youth
        • Depression and Anxiety
        • Healthy Boundaries
        • Mental Health Education
        • Mental Health Resource for Congregations
        • Mental Illnesses
        • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
        • Suicide
      • Speakers and Trainers
      • Webinars
      • All Resources
    • Donate
      • Support ADN: Donate Now
      • Legacy Giving
      • Honor And Memorial Gifts
      • Building the Future Partners
    • Contact Us
Left Menu
  • Pictures
  • Lists
  • Libraries
  • Recent
  • NewsletterCurrently selected
    • Latest issue
    • Previous issues
    • Subscribe

Slow Your Roll
One of the many blessings of disability

Deborah Abbs
Page Image
foot on top of another foot
Image Caption

Luke and Debbie Abbs



Opening paragraph

​Confirmations, graduations, sports leagues and family reunions; these are just a few of the events making many of us run around like squirrels chasing down acorns. Add in those bright yellow dandelions taking over the yard, dirty dishes piling up near the sink, being parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles – and, oh yeah, that thing we do to make a living -- it’s no wonder we live frenzied lives.

Page Content

​And true confession: When I have a few minutes of down time, I’m more apt to be found staring at my phone than I am to breathe deeply and enjoy the quiet time. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 doesn’t say scroll without ceasing, but I often live like it does.

One of the many blessings my youngest son, Luke, who has autism and is nonverbal, has brought me is this: He helps me slow down and live in the present. It’s ironic because Luke loves to be on the go; he does a lot of pacing and running plus he is really fast! But his chill-out time and really his whole attitude toward life is living in and for the moment.

Luke was home for a weeklong visit not long ago and after we jumped on the trampoline in our backyard, he plopped down to play with his beloved beads. I sat down next to him and we sat in the sunshine for TWO hours just being together with him occasionally putting his foot on top of mine and me rubbing his back from time to time. It was wonderful. It slowed down my mind that is often full of ideas and to-do lists.

Another time he and I were staying overnight at a hotel and he started crying and banged his head a couple times, which he does when his senses are overloaded or something upsets him. I wasn’t sure this time what was causing him distress. He put a blanket over his whole body, including his head, and I gave him some space but sat on the bed a few feet away saying repeatedly, “It’s OK. You’re OK.” He calmed a bit, so I came closer. His right foot came out from under the blanket and I started rubbing it. Whenever I stopped the massage, he moved his foot closer to my hand and I knew that meant “keep going, Mom.” It was a precious few minutes and helped both of us feel better.

We so need this slowing down of our minds, hearts and feet. This is one of the blessings I have unexpectedly found from my family being impacted by disability. It helps me stop scrolling, hear from the Lord, and pray without ceasing like 1 Thessalonians 1:5 really instructs me to do.



Besides being a writer and one of the authors of the book, Life on the Spectrum, Debbie Abbs has worked for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for 25 years. She loves getting to the be the mom of her two boys, Brandon and Luke, as well as being married to her cop husband, Mike. To read more from Deborah Abbs, and her co-writers, learn more at www.lifeonthespectrumbook.com. Their book, Life on the Spectrum, can be purchased at https://www.
amazon.com/dp/0692182853


 In this issue

  • Praying for Healing?
    Do we pray for elimination of an impairment? Or can limitations sometimes create blessing and opportunities for God's work?
  • We Are Able Workcampers Inspire
    We Are Able workcampers served in Elgin this summer
  • Welcome, Emily!
    ADN welcomes a new office adminstrator
  • ADN at 2019 Conferences
    ADN at MennoCon19 and the 2019 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference
  • Barrier-Free Grants in Full Swing
    Barrier-Free Grants are available to congregations to increase accessibility
  • Fall Fundraising Banquet 2019
    J.E. Misz speaks on "Hidden Heroics: Finding God in Mental Illness" at ADN's 2019 Fall Fundraiser Banquet
 

Contact us

P: 877-214-9838 (Toll Free)
P: 574-343-1362
3145 Benham Avenue
Suite 5
Elkhart, IN 46517-1970
Visit the Anabaptist Disabilities Network on Facebook!

Support ADN

Use your credit card to contribute online:

Donate Now Through Network for Good

Donate Now Through PayPal

    Resources

  • Staff
  • About
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Donate
  • Employment
  • Sign In
  • © Anabaptist Disabilities Network 2019