GOD CAN!!!

        Some of you may have read my Mom’s previous blog about my youngest daughter’s diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy called, "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made". For those that have not I will do a quick recap. At 6 months of age Isabella was not rolling over or sitting up and was very weak on her left side. I mentioned it to her pediatrician who just dismissed it at which time we took her for a second opinion. Isabella had a 9 month checkup and the doctor agreed with me about my concerns and decided she needed to see a neurologist. We made the trip to Cincinnati where the doctor observed her for 30-45 minutes and said that he knew she had CP as he sees this very often and that she would walk, but closer to 2 years of age.  We decided to go through with the sedated MRI ,which showed no damage. The doctor told us that a lot of times the MRI never shows damage but they will continue to treat her as a CP patient. There was about a span of 6 months between the time we first saw the neurologist and the day of her sedated MRI. Almost every day, I wondered what the MRI would show.   I replayed my pregnancy in my mind a million times trying to figure out when Isabella had the stroke the doctors said she had.  I also questioned if I would ever see her walk the halls of our home, the isle at church or if she would ever walk to the door of my parents’ home when we went for a visit. I knew God COULD heal her but I just didn’t know if it was in His plans. Perhaps Isabella could reach more people and give more glory to God by being wheelchair bound or strapped to a walker. Having to reach a point where you were completely ok with your child being in such a state in order for her to honor God is completely sobering. I had always heard parents say as their children were heading to the mission field that if that’s God’s will for them then that’s the safest place for them. I too felt this way.  What if this was God’s plan for Isabella’s life? Who am I to reject it? After all King Darius turned to God because of the power of God shown thru Daniel’s trial.  My husband on the other hand had complete faith that God would heal Isabella and that she would walk. He took her before the church on a Sunday and had her anointed with oil and prayed over. From that point on he had unwavering faith. It was almost for those months that we lived as a house divided. He wasn’t wrong in his thinking and neither was I. I didn’t know if God would heal her by allowing her to walk but I KNEW either way He would be there and that was enough for me!!! We have continued weekly therapy with Isabella and I am so thankful to report that I have watched her walk the halls of our home, the isle of our church and to the front door of my parents’ home. I have watched her climb items in our home that a CP patient should NEVER be able to do. I have watched the strength in her left side be restored.  She climbs steps like a pro. Just this week I watched my friend’s amazed face at seeing Isabella walk. The nurse said that either Isabella has CP and it isn’t showing on the MRI or she never had it. But I say she had it BUT GOD healed her!!!! I know what she looked like at 6 months and my mommy gut said something was wrong. She began walking at 15 ½ months old. I am so thankful and so unworthy and the grace shown to me. Can God??  GOD CAN!!!!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Well, here I sit on July 1, 2015 at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; the day I have feared for months now.  My youngest granddaughter who is only 15 months old is being put to sleep for an MRI to check for something I have refused to believe she has, cerebral palsy.  I believe she is fearfully and wonderfully made. Yes, she’s a little slower than other kids her age but there’s nothing wrong. 

As I am writing this they are proceeding with the test.  My insides are very trembly but my heart is set on God, our Creator.  He is in control; He knows what is going on inside my granddaughter; and He will not be surprised at what the doctors find  . . . . Or don’t find.  As I look around the room while I’m waiting, I see many children, young babies to teens.  There is something going on with each of them, some much worse than others.  As I look around I am reminded of the verse in Mark 10:14, “Suffer the little children come unto me, and forbid them not, for such is the Kingdom of God.”  I am also reminded that in this thing called life, nothing is perfect.  There is sickness and disease everywhere and yes, some will even end in death.  But God promises that if we believe in him, we will have eternal life.  The time draws closer.  Ready or not, one day the Lord is coming, saved or lost, sick or healthy, the time is drawing near.  (Revelations 1:3)

So, it’s been about three hours since my granddaughter’s procedure began.  The nurse just called and said the test was over.  She also gave us the report we prayed for - everything is normal!  My daughter asked about the cerebral palsy.  The nurse was confused by the question and said the doctor would be contacting us soon, which he did. The doctor stated that some cerebral palsy is so mild that it does not show on tests and she will need to be re-evaluated in four months, but all looks good!

So, was there ever anything wrong with her; or did God heal her between the time her parents were first told something was wrong  and the time she was taken to an old- fashioned alter where God’s people prayed for her healing?  I guess we will never know, but this grandmother knows that no matter the diagnosis, this child was created by God and she is fearfully and wonderfully made!    

Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise You, For (Isabella) is fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.”