Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
First let me apologize for not posting more often or sooner. There wasn't much change in the weeks leading up to Trae's arrival (I'll address his progress in a little bit). Just a lot of anticipation. I had a lot of time to reflect on what God was doing in my life by giving us His special masterpiece. As I contemplated this God continued to affirm that this was his plan. I believe the verse above was Alton's (Thomas' brother) class verse so it was read during his graduation. This was the first of many affirmations...Christ reminded me that even though there will be difficulty He will use Trae and his trials (sufferings) and ours, as parents, to build my character in Him.
Another affirmation came while visiting Thomas' parents church. I can't remember the verse or even the point (Sorry, Pastor Stan) but the sermon spoke about obstacles. We are going to have a lot of obstacles to overcome when Trae is born but God is there. He knows what obstacles are coming before they come to us and to our son. He knows how we are going to respond. I can't image what is coming our way but I'm glad that my heavenly father is going to be by my side to encourage and help my son to overcome anything that may slow him down. It was good to be reminded of this even if it wasn't the point of the sermon. :)
Lastly and most importantly...God affirmed and showed me that Trae's condition wasn't my fault. My sin did not cause this but God has plans to use Trae and his uniqueness to glorify himself. This message was spelled out for me in the passage in which Jesus and this disciples encountered a man born blind...
John 9:1-4
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
As I heard this tears fell from my eyes because I knew that there was a time in my life where Jesus was not in the fore front of my mind. I thought that God was using my child to teach me a lesson for deserting him. But this passage showed me that not only was I completely wrong but that he was using my family to glorify Him. I don't know why in the world he had chosen me, a deserter and sinner, to have a son and a family that is meant to glorify him but he did. I am thankful for that and for my child that was coming soon. This was the biggest lesson. My God loves me enough despite myself that he still wants to use me for His good. I am amazed by that. God knew before I was born that I would desert him and yet he still mapped out this specific plan for me...Crazy, huh? This plan was not easy to accept but I am eager to see how God will be glorified and what I will learn from God and Trae.
Health wise, Trae remained healthy throughout the end of the pregnancy. There were several questions as to whether his legs would be normal or not. As your may remember Trae's feet were swollen in the first few ultrasounds by the end this had gone down. The length of his femurs seemed to normalize as well. This gave us hope for his lower extremities and his overall health. I was cautious though because I did not want to be disappointed if the ultrasounds ended up being wrong. I continued to prepare of myself for the worst.
As for my health, I was placed on partial bed rest a couple weeks before the scheduled c-section due to borderline high blood pressure. This was preventive to ensure that I did not have preeclampsia. After weeks of finishing up paperwork at home and sitting around bored the time came to deliver our masterpiece...
I am so happy all is well! My son, preston was born march 27 with a number of gi issues all associated with Down's syndrome. His first surgery was less than 24 hours after birth and he had two more trips to the OR in the 6 weeks he was in the NICU. He still has two more surgeries to go but we too are so thankful that god chose us to receive this special gift!
ReplyDeleteHow is Trae now? Many blessings to you and your family. Trae (and you and Dad) are in my prayers.
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