Our own Christmas miracle

I know the first Christmas miracle was the birth of our Lord....newborn, frail and tiny...the hope of the world. Delivered in a place for animals, born of Mary, little more than a child herself. But a child who said yes to the fearful wonder of God. In those days, in those times, a woman risked death by becoming pregnant outside of her marriage. It was no simple "yes" but carried a great burden. Yet in her faith, in her great uncompromising faith she said yes. For the incarnation and the gift of Jesus we are truly blessed.

This past week we were blessed again. Not by a birth but in the answered prayers of many. We heard from Tia that Liora had been to the doctor...not for anything more serious than a cold or flu. While there, the doctor measured Liora's head and it was off the charts....not a gentle growing curve but a straight line, up and off that chart. He suspected hydrocephalus. Even with treatment this is a bad thing. It can be fatal.

We know the shattering of heart a child who is medically fragile brings to parents. The risk of reverse in the natural order...of a child who goes before his parents. The agony of the unknown.
My faith is not the unqualified faith of Mary...my faith quivers and quakes. It fears. It falters. But this time I knew to pray. I knew not to blame God and to question His workings as I did in the past. Not much of an improvement but He isnt finished with me yet. As old as I am, I am glad to still be a work in progress (even if it is slow progress).

So we asked friends to pray...and pray they did.

After the first test...an ultrasound, we thought we were in the clear. Her ventricles are slightly enlarged and there is a bit of extra fluid : the radiologist said not to worry. But the doctor wasn't satisfied. When this test proved somewhat inconclusive, he thought perhaps the bones in her head had fused too early. Another dire situation, with even the best options less than good. Second test was a CT scan....while we continued to lift her to the Lord in prayer. While we prayed for her parents to be blessed by the grace and peace of Christ as they waited.

The results of that scan proved that she has a big brain...not a big problem.

There just are not words that cover the depth of our gratitude, our blessing, our gift. There is nothing in this world , nothing, that is a greater gift than this....our granddaughter is fine.

To all those who prayed with us...thank you. We know, intellectually, that the Lord is a loving God, that our best interests are safely held in His hands even if we can't see the whole picture and we may not understand His plans. It is just rare, at least for me, to literally be on the receiving end of a miracle and that is what this is...at least in my book.