Josiah lost his ability to speak to an autism diagnosis when he was just two years old. While the medical report wasn’t hopeful, God had bigger plans.
After five years of non-verbal communication, Josiah suddenly began to type profound statements on his iPad about a variety of topics, including messages about God and faith. His mother, Tahni Cullen, recalls one particular example,
“One night, in the middle of the night, he typed on his iPad, God wants to show you about the Triune God now, mom. He goes on to type,
‘In the Trinity, the Father is the manager, the Son is the lover of operations and the Holy Spirit is worker. So it’s 3 in 1 getting things done. The world was created only by 3 functions that went like this: Father thought it, Son loved it and Holy Spirit carried out the plan, that is how Trinity works, mom.’
‘Father, Son, Holy Spirit lack nothing; they all talk together about how things should go. Man must voice, Father, what do you think? Jesus, what do you love? Spirit, what should we do about it? This is your mission: Do what Father thinks, what Jesus loves and what Spirit tells.'”
Josiah’s profound statements brought Tahni to a deeper sense of her awe in God through every sentence.
“I just have a sense of awe and wonder of God that causes me, when I’m just out and about in everyday life, to notice God more, to be more aware.”
Tahni explains how she went from being in awe of Josiah’s Autism Spectrum Disorder, to being in awe of the truth and validity of God’s word over his life.
“For many years I was in awe of autism. I had never seen anything like it. Where’s the solution? I’m just trying and trying to figure out how to help and it’s such a big giant; you can picture Goliath taunting you, and yet there’s the other side that says God says, ‘I want you to be in awe of Me.’”
In the midst of hardship and uncertainty, Tahni reminds us that we can find hope by relying on God’s truth, instead of relying on a medical diagnosis.
“You can be in awe and be crushed by the report of the doctors, by the report of the diagnosis, the label or whatever that is, or you can be in awe and believe the report of the Lord. What are you going to decide? There’s a heart choice there and to me that is the very essence of what faith is.”
Tahni Cullen is a people-lover, blogger, and conference speaker who brings a powerful message of hope and restoration. Tahni and her producer husband, Joe, have created an award-winning documentary called Surprised by Autism. They live with their son, Josiah, in Saint Paul, where they enjoy exploring Minnesota’s museums and destinations.
Josiah's Fire
