This year’s Hearts at Home conference theme is Real Moms, Real Lives, Real Stories. We want to encourage moms to share their real hearts, real lives, and real stories. This week, my online friend Lynn shared a real story and how God used it to teach her a real spiritual lesson. I asked her if I could share it with you and she graciously agreed.

From Lynn:

My youngest son, Jacob, age 10, was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome last summer. Tourette’s is much more than just Tics, it is also learning problems, ADHD, OCD, anxiety, rages and more. About 4 years ago we had to switch dentists due to insurance changes and we chose a pediatric dentist that seemed to be good with both of our boys. This year Jacob needed partial braces, and one day over Christmas break was going to be the “big day”!

When the “big day” arrived I asked the dental hygentist to explain everything to him because of his Tourette’s (up to this point we had not had to explain much about his Tourette’s because he had just had to have regular check ups). After the braces (and a tooth extraction – yikes!) the dentist came out to talk with me in the waiting room. It was his lunch time and all other patients were gone. He explained everything we were to do with the new braces, etc. As we were talking somehow the subject of Tourette’s came up and the dentist made mention that his son had Tourette’s. Then Jacob said he had it also. They both talked awhile about the struggles of the syndrome.

As we were getting ready to leave the dentist came over to me, put his hands on my shoulder and said, “This is something I do not tell many people, but I think you need to know — I have Tourette Syndrome”. I was amazed. Then he said, “It was rough, I was bullied, teased, and belittled, but I played sports in high school and college and became a dentist — it can be done. He will be okay!” I said to him, “You just have to take each day, learn from it, forgive, forget and go on.” and he then said, “that is exactly what you have to do!” We then talked a little longer and we left.

Through my tears on the way home the boys and I talked about what happened. My oldest son said, “That was a coincidence huh, mom?” I immediately said, “No, Honey, that was a God thing! That is the whole reason we were sent to him in the first place. God knew that someday we would need to hear exactly what he needed to say and today was the day!”

I then realized that that is what God does for us everyday! God takes each day with us as sinners, tells us to learn from our sins, then forgives us (if we ask him to), forgets it and we get to start over fresh! And I get to see that and be reminded of that everyday with my son! It gives me an opportunity to be reminded everyday what God does for me through my son everyday! We all mess up every single day — We all fall short of the Glory of God, but we serve an AWESOME God who forgives us!

And that is what I have learned from one short trip to the dentist!

Do you have a real story you’d like to share? I’ll be posting them throughout 2009 and invite you to share your stories so they can encourage other moms. You can send them to me at [email protected]. Please keep the stories to 500 words or less.

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