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| My amazing little boy, Brady. Diagnosed with PMG. |
I truly believe that in every bad circumstance, you can find a blessing. Sometimes, you have to look much harder than others, but if you look hard enough... you will see a blessing. I like to uncover it. I like to go on a treasure hunt through all of the mess and find the blessing. Sometimes it is the only way that I can cope with a situation. It is hard to "make sense" of things sometimes, but when you manage to find the blessing in something terrible, it seems to help. Let me explain...
There isn't much good that one can find in the senseless death of a high school girl. She hasn't even lived her life yet. She was still a kid, and she had so much going for her. Her family and friends are devastated by the loss, and no one can make sense of it at all... until almost ONE HUNDRED high school kids decide to call Jesus their savior. That is a lot of people saved because of the death of one person. ONE HUNDRED baptisms, I think that is a blessing. Especially when the high school girl was known for her faith. She kept a stash of little bibles on her all of the time. She handed them out and did everything she could to spread the name of Jesus. If she had known that her death would turn so many kids to Christ, she would be happy. BLESSING!
How about the high school boy who had an aneurysm in the middle of class and died. Imagine how traumatic it was for the person sitting next to him, for the teacher, for the classroom full of students who are now looking at their peer, and he is no longer alive. How can you make sense of that? A family lost their son, friends & teammates of his... all saddened by the loss. But, what if something like this brings people together. What if the rest of the school manages to put their differences aside, and help one another. Provide a shoulder to lean on, support the family, and stop judging each other, because they all realized that life is short. BLESSING!
The groom who was killed in a car accident on the way to the church for his wedding...
The 3 year old little girl who is fighting leukemia...
The 38 week pregnant woman who delivered a still born child...
The 15 year old boy who learned of his cancer when it was stage 4...
The wife who has been beaten by her husband...
HOW CAN YOU MAKE SENSE OF ANY ONE OF THESE THINGS???
The thing is, none of it has to make sense. We aren't supposed to understand God's plan. His plan is bigger than any one of us, so trying to make sense of it will only make your head spin. We also need to remember that none of these things are God's fault. While he could change any one of those things... it isn't his responsibility! We can pray, and prayer gives us hope. We can seek treatment or answers, and maybe we will find what we look for. OR we can seek out the blessing in any situation, and realize that God's plan may not be as bad as it seemed. Death brings people closer together, it brings people to God, and it is a part of life. I am not going to pretend for a second like I handle death well, because I do not. However, we all cope with things in our own way. While cancer and illnesses are far from a blessing, medicine has come a long way. Treatments can be harsh, but the fact that treatments are available is a blessing. Maybe a bad situation has led you to know someone that you would have never met another way. Maybe something terrible, taught you a valuable lesson that you now use to help others. Life is full of lessons, trials, and tests. You can either choose to be bigger than the terrible things in your past, or you can let your past decide your future. Personally, I choose the first option.
19 months ago, we met our beautiful baby boy. He was perfect. So tiny, and so precious. We were proud parents of 2 children that day! Our daughter was a very proud Big Sister, and I don't think anything could have made that day more perfect. (Besides the terrible doctor that delivered my son... however that is a very long story, which I will not go into now. BLESSING is that he arrived safe and healthy, no matter what the doctor said!) It wasn't until 4 months later that I noticed he was favoring one hand over the other. It wasn't for another 2 months that the doctors really seemed concerned by his favoritism of his right side, or his eyes that seemed to constantly shake. It wasn't until October 19th, 2012, that we received an official diagnosis and our world seemed to crack and shatter around us. What mother wants to hear that her baby son has a "brain development abnormality"?? What mom wants to hear a prognosis so bleak that she leaves fearing that her son may never live on his own?? What parent wants to hear that their child will have setbacks, and challenges that other children will never know??
No one.
So, after I cried, and mourned the loss of a child that I thought I had, I began getting used to the child I was now meeting! I was sad (still am some days), I was angry, and I was confused. How could something so rare, happen to my son? I hadn't had the easiest pregnancy, so things were supposed to be fine now. He was here, and I could protect him... from just about anything except this. This brain defect can not be fixed. There is no medicine, there is no treatment, there is no surgery... there is nothing I can do. I can however, chose to love him for who he is. I can support him, and I can encourage him through his challenges. I can provide therapy that may help him overcome some of his obstacles...
and I can thank God for trusting me with this. I can thank him for believing
that I am capable of raising this amazing little boy! I can thank him for letting
me be a part of this process. I can thank him for given me the knowledge
and interest in researching this condition. I can thank him for giving me the
opportunity to help spread awareness of this condition to those who may
not learn any other way. I can thank him for giving me a baby that
he hasn't "grown up" just yet. I think God knew what he was doing,
because he knew that with me not wanting anymore children,
that I needed my baby to be a baby for a lot longer than most! I think
God knew that I will not be such a graceful empty-nester,
and he provided what I needed!
If you learn to look for the good in every situation, you will find yourself to be a much happier person! You will find that nothing can get you down, if you choose not to let it.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened,
and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
