KEY VERSE:
“So
is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not
return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and
achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah
55:11
ESSAY:
Our son Parker has been in speech
therapy for over a year now. And it has been tremendously helpful. Before
therapy he wasn't talking at all, and now he has a vocabulary of more than 50
words. Wow! We have been very pleased with, and blessed by, his progress. But
there is one sound he is having trouble with. He can't say "TR" as in
truck. Instead, the "TR" comes out like an "F." Thus, when
he tries to say "truck," it comes out as a four-letter word. I won’t
tell you which one, you can figure it out on your own.
Parker likes to stand on our bed,
look out the window and watch the vehicles go by on our busy street. He can
tell you whether each car passing by is a "car" or a
"f...." He isn't trying to say a nasty word, so it is all very cute
and harmless. Some people probably give us dirty looks when he says his version
of "truck" in public, but who cares. We know what he is really
saying. When I told his speech therapist about the "TR" sound coming
out as an "F" she chuckled and said, "We'll work on it."
And they are. And I have no doubt Parker will be saying "truck," and
"train" and even "transportation" before too long.
ABOUT AUTISM:
Speech and vocabulary can vary with individuals on the autism spectrum.
Many will learn to use speech as a normal part of their lives. Some, however,
will remain limited in their speech capabilities or completely nonverbal.
Getting our son into speech therapy as a toddler was extremely valuable. He
remains in speech therapy to this day and now he is a sixth grader.
APPLICATION:
God’s words, whether verbal or written, are always perfect. They are always
timely and accomplish His goals. As humans though, like my son Parker, we say
some silly things. Sometimes we speak destructive and hurtful things, too. Far
too often I find that my words are harsh and impatient, even with the ones I
love. But just as Parker has made tremendous progress with his speech, I can as
well. And so can you. What about your speech needs to improve? Do you need to
swear less? Or maybe you need to encourage more? Perhaps you need to remove
deceitful words from your daily dialogue. Pray about your speech habits right
now and with God’s help you can make as much speech progress as Parker!
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