Thursday, April 9, 2009

Grace sufficient

In II Corinthians chapter 12, the apostle Paul speaks of a thorn in his flesh and asks the Lord three times to remove it. The Lord answers him with this: My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul responds with: Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

A few years ago, when we were going through the struggles of wanting but not having children, this was one of two verses that I clung to as if my life depended on it. I read it and quoted it to myself every single day for almost two years. It brought me much comfort back then and it will bring me that same comfort in the days ahead. Now it just comes with a different meaning. We met with the neurologist today and James does indeed have Cerebral Palsy. His EEG was normal but the MRI showed slight damage on his brain. He has a very mild case of cp and the doctor feels confident that with therapy(lots of therapy) he has excellent potential to progress rapidly and function almost normally. The MRI also showed that he has a lot of fluid in his ears and needs tubes. He also said a visit to the orthopedist is in the very near future for shoes and or braces for his feet. We went in his office today expecting this news so it was not a shock or gut wrenching blow like last time. But it's still so very hard to know for certain that he has this disease. However, we are so thankful to have only had to endure 3 weeks of limbo. We know what his infirmity is and now can move forward with that knowledge and get our son the best care possible.
We are heart broken for our son and dread the obstacles that he will have to endure through out his life. As his parents we dread the obstacles that we will have to endure for him. But our hearts are filled with joy tonight because our gracious Lord mercifully gave us the children we so desired. And granted such a precious little being to be our son. His smile lights up any room he enters and he constantly steals the hearts of all those he comes in contact with. Again we ask humbly that when you pray, remember us.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

11 comments:

Kelly Spezzano said...

Amanda, many prayers will continue for you and your precious family. The Lord's grace is sufficient and we ourselves have seen him bless exceedingly abundant above and we pray that he will in your little James' life too! We love you guys!

His Mercy Endureth Forever said...

You all are in our prayers daily. May the Lord give you the peace and comfort to deal with all that this diagnosis might bring.

Tara said...

Hey Amanda, You and your family will indeed continue to be in our prayers. May God continue to be with you during this time and give you peace and comfort.

Dianne said...

I have tears, 'manda, as I read. But, not purely tears of sorrow. I am so overwhelmed by the graces God has showered upon your hearts. No one else could have accepted this blow and plainly state how merciful our God is. Even in storms. His mercy endureth forever. God made you and Brother Jon especially for James. I truly believe. And, oh, my, He exceeded all expectations. And, He always does.
We love you all dearly and little James' name is dropped to our Lord with every thought of him.

Anonymous said...

Hey Amanda! I will definitely be thinking about you and Jon (and Audrey and James) in the days ahead and sending prayers your way. I do feel that we are given trials to make us stronger and I'm sure that this trial will end up making you an even closer family than you already are. Sounds like you have some obstacles to face but I'm sure that you will overcome them all beautifully. You always have been a tough girl. :) Take care and keep me updated on James and his situation. Love, Leanna

Dani said...

We will continue to pray for your little family, especially for James.

Amber said...

Oh Amanda, I am so thankful that you all have some answers. There is definitely power in "knowing"...it doesn't soften the blow, but it is a nice to get out of the grey area of not really knowing for sure what is going on.

James and Nate can be brace buddies!! Nathan has little SMOs (suresteps) with dinosaurs on them, and they really do help him with stability when he walks. And I have to say that our therapists have been such an incredible blessing in our lives in so many ways. I am so thankful for these women...they are truly good friends and actually love and care about Nathan. I pray that you meet therapists that are just as wonderful.

Give those litte-uns a big ole' honkin' kiss for us! See you in May??? Please???

Dana said...

Amanda,
So glad that you finally know for sure. I am also so very thankful that it is a mild form as you expected. Please know that I will be praying earnestly for little James and his precious Mom and Dad. You were indeed blessed by God to have James and Audrey, but they were even more blessed to have such wonderful loving parents! Love you guys. Talk to you soon,
Dana

Becky said...

Beautiful post, Manny.

cameron said...

Through tears I can't help but smile when I think of my flirty little James. You all are in my prayers. You are such a blessing and inspiration to all who read this, Amanda. You are a special woman whom God has prepared and strengthened especially for the life He gave you. I love you all.

Sydney Sanders said...

Such a sweet post. We will continue to keep little Jamesy in our prayers.