I read this on the recommendation of my daughter, and I would recommend it anyone.
A father tells of experiencing the grace of God through the trials of caring for a mentally disabled son. But this book is not just for those with disabled children; his struggles are the same as what we all face. But it is not as apparent to us because we are not faced with his type of difficulties 24/7. Those who go through ongoing physical and emotional stress like that do experience God in a deeper way. And in every incident of suffering God’s grace is apparent. This is true in my own personal experience of suffering.
I like the chapter titles such as Trial/God’s grace. Chapter 7 is Darkness/Rescue. When he and his wife faced the darkest time of hopelessness, God rescued them with opening their heart to salvation in Jesus Christ.
I got a new perspective from Chapter 5 Gifted/Saved – Grace saves us by freely and undeservingly giving what we need to be saved.
He answers the question, how can the mentally disabled be saved? And along with that, are infants who die guaranteed to go to heaven? Is that in Scripture? Is there an age of accountability? What is that age? How about older people with dementia? The chapter answers these questions in a way that I had not considered. I might have heard it but now I see the truth of it. I was always taught that there is an age of accountability but the age seemed to be arbitrary. And if we are sinners in conception, why would God establish an age of accountability? And I’ve been taught that even the mentally disable has a spirit that can understand spiritual things. But how do we know that from Scripture? The author’s answer is actually quite simple – we are all dead in our sin, none of us can save ourselves, so actually we are in the same boat as the infant or the mentally disabled. If God chooses to save any, it is by his grace alone, and he will make it happen. Hence the subtitle of this chapter, by God’s grace he gives us what we need to be saved. If he wants the infant or mentally disabled in the kingdom, he will enable them to understand the gospel.
This is a small book packed with insights that touches the heart. I cried in the last chapter.