February 16 - Anonymous

I was born and raised as a Christian and got married early in my 20s. My husband and I met in Bible college and could not wait to get married, start life together. At the age of 24 I had our first child; my pregnancy was pretty easy, birth was easy and learning to be his mom for the first 24-48 hours was great. My son was a healthy baby until two days after his delivery; we got a call from the hospital nurse that my son tested positive for a rare metabolic disorder called MCAD and that we needed to make sure we are feeding him every 3 hours or he would have low blood sugar, body go into shock into a coma and die. This was a fairly new disease they found and needed to make sure we meet with the genetics every few months.

For the first year of life he was not allowed to sleep through the night; I had to wake him up every 3-4 hours to eat, if he vomited and was not able to keep food down we had to take him into ER for a glucose IV. This was all shared to me by a hospital nurse in a 5 minute conversation on the phone. I was numb, I hung up the phone and thought my son was going to die. We went to multiple doctor visits to monitor our son's health. He was hitting all his milestones, growing up so nicely. Couldn’t understand why God would give me a healthy son who might one day die, the doctors didn’t even know the outcome.

My husband and I didn’t know what hit us. But in my quiet hour, holding my son in my hands God spoke to me and reminded me He made him, He sees my pain but not to worry that your child I gave you will be a light shining for me. Keep raising him and I will take care of the rest. That was what I needed to hear, the peace he supplied is forever changing. My husband and I gave our son to the Lord and haven’t stopped trusting him everyday since. The word stayed with me.

Today my son is 18, very healthy, a fantastic soccer player but most importantly his light shines for Jesus. His heart is sold for Christ, he does not let the world or his friends sway him. He fears the Lord and desires to display the love of God to people around him. He loves life. I have seen God's hand move throughout his life and know that he is going to do great things for God's kingdom. He is aware of his MCAD but praise God he has never needed to go to the hospital. We never had an issue with his blood sugar.

I thank God again today as I share this story with you because there is joy in the morning, he takes us through these trials but provides us with his comfort. If it is speaking to us quietly, bringing someone or something to bring peace to our trial, God shows up every time. And he is doing what he promised me 18 years ago in that quiet place, he is taking care of my son. He does not disappoint. What a God we serve.

Thank you my loving father for always showing up. Sometimes we don’t show up but your grace and compassion is always there. I don’t like the trials but I know when I do have them it’s because you're building us up for something greater. Continue to teach us and I give you the praise today; in advance for what’s to come. In Jesus name.