God's Miracles

Every baby is a gift from the Lord. We just don’t seem to realize how precious that gift is until difficulties remind us how fragile life really is. Our miracle baby turned 18 years old this month. The doctors still shake their heads in unbelief at the wonderful things God has done in her life.

When she was only 6 days old our youngest daughter had bacterial meningitis. We were told survival would probably mean severe retardation and hearing loss. She was spared both. It did mean months of hospitalization and special care fighting the infection in her brain. Complications included a stroke and brain abscess. Uncertainty followed her for years as she struggled with mild cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

I remember the fear that gripped me as I held her head in my lap helplessly watching her body violently jerk for several minutes when she was a toddler. Even that trial turned into a miracle when after 12 years God took the seizures away, even though doctors told us her form of epilepsy was for life.

This month our miracle baby turned 18 years old, and we praise God for the person she has become.

That doesn’t mean God would be any less good or any less just had the outcome been different. My friend whose son has downs syndrome with severe retardation would tell you, “God just gave us a different miracle.”