Seeing All People With Autism (or without) Through God’s Eyes

I have been reading books about autism lately. A book I am reading through now is called “Let Me Hear Your Voice”. As I read, I am wondering what it is that I can say, what can I contribute, or offer, that will help people with autism spectrum disorder, or with any challenge whatsoever. Another subject I am interested in is how to serve and help those with a mental illness. I don’t have any professional expertise. Hopefully in the future I might be able to develop that, and help develop it in others. But at this point, all I really have is my own experience, and what I know from the stories I have heard from other people, through books or conversations, or other personal accounts of people with autism or a mental health issue or any other issue. I don’t know exactly what I will be able to contribute.

All I really know is that serving those with autism is something God is prodding me to do. I honestly did not want to deal with this subject for a long time. I felt embarrassed that I had this diagnosis. I wanted to have anything else beside it. I did not like what I saw when I looked at myself. I was looking at myself and others through the wrong eyes, through the wrong lens. It has been a gradual process for me, sometimes slow, but other times I seem to have a great improvement in how I look at myself and others. Ultimately, my goal is to see people the way Jesus sees them. I am not an expert or an adept at doing this. I am trying to practice this though. I have been trying to stop myself when I view or think about myself or another person, especially when I am irritated or angry or frustrated with someone, myself included, and I have to ask myself “How does Jesus see this person?” How does Jesus see this person with autism? How does Jesus see this person who has a mental illness? And while I don’t know the answer, or have a foolproof technique for doing this, at the very least right now, I have the question, and asking that question, especially with practice and over time, the process of answering that question is sure to bear good fruit.

So right now I just offer this question to ask yourself whenever you confront any difficulty or obstacle in understanding yourself or someone else. When you are struggling to be able to serve someone who is having a hard time, maybe a very hard time, you can ask “How does Jesus see this person and the problem they are going through?” When we see with the eyes of God, or at least seek to, I think that some wonderful things can be made possible. I will continue to read about autism, about mental health, about other people and things, and I hope to contribute more ideas and thoughts that will help us be better servants to those in need. But right now, I just offer this exercise of asking the question “How does Jesus see this person?”