Faith, Autism Motherhood and Disability Advocacy with Sunita Theiss

This episode of the Faith Filled Mom Podcast features Sunita Theiss. Sunita is a believer of God, wife, mother, neurodivergent, writer, disability rights advocate and so much more. Sunita will tell you her story, share her experience of being neurodivergent and raising neurodivergent children, and encourage you to lean into God’s grace. We talk about Faith, skincare, autism challenges, the Bible and so much more. Follow Sunita on Social Media: Instagram: @sunitatheiss Twitter: @sunitatheiss Substack: @sunitatheiss Visit her website: sunitatheiss.com Transcript: Denea (00:00) Okay, hi everyone. So I have a special treat, one that I have been excited about for a while. Her name is Sunitha Theiss. She is a believer, a mom, advocates for disability rights. I don't want to give away too much because I want her to be able to tell her story. She's also a writer. and a speaker and I am just so thankful for you to be on here today. Thank you so much. Sunita Theiss (00:34) Thank you for having me. Denea (00:36) Absolutely. So I want to go ahead and get straight into it. Can you first kind of briefly say how you came to know Jesus? How did you start to, I guess, get into like a relationship with God and get to know Him? Sunita Theiss (00:52) It was kind of by accident. So I grew up Hindu, my well-meaning, but in hindsight, think misguided Christians had said things to my parents, like my dad was really sick. And so would say things like, if you accept Christ, you will be well. And like, that's not how God works, right? Like God is not a vending machine. And so I was... trying to make my parents mad and like rebel. And I went to church with a friend who invited me, which like I did like more typical forms of rebelling in high school too, but like also this. And so it was kind of hard to be the only kid, also the only Indian kid a lot of the time whose parents weren't there. And in hindsight, sort of knowing what I know about myself now. It was just hard to figure people out. a few years, so I stopped going. And then a few years later, when I was in college, my dad had passed away and I'd moved across the country and back. And I don't know what you call it, if it was Providence or God just endlessly pursuing me. Denea (02:01) Sorry. Sunita Theiss (02:15) I found the Bible that a youth pastor had given me in high school and I just remember sort of angry and bitter and praying, God, if you're real now is a good time. And a lot of stuff just kind of happened in those few weeks following that and things I didn't think could be explained away by coincidence. I felt like God had done things. And so I reached out to that same friend from high school and I was like, hey, are you gonna be home for winter break? Can I go to church with you? I just want to say thank you. And so I went with her to church and then another friend from high school had recommended the church I attended for over a decade. so the three of us went to church and I ended up just continuing to go back there. And I got baptized there and was super involved there for about 10 years. And then, you know, even after we got married, we'd gone to my husband's church for a while and we went back and I'm still very connected to that community there. So that's the short version. Yeah. Denea (03:18) That's awesome. Yeah, I love how God just meets us where we are. You know, like that's, that's, yeah. Sunita Theiss (03:26) uses our rebellion, uses our, and what's been really remarkable is that my mom is still a Hindu. She's an extremely devout and prayerful person and everything she does. And her faith is also like just so moved by loving her family. But she, it was so hard for her at first. And she is also in a place where she's like, I see that this has been good for you. And she will come to, Denea (03:38) Mm-hmm. Sunita Theiss (03:56) our Christian homeschool group with my kids and I, and she will do, you know, and so she... Denea (03:59) that's awesome. Sunita