Should I start with how amazingly well Jacob is doing since his surgery one week ago? Or, should I start with how well the surgery and the 5 day hospital stay went? Or, maybe I should start with proclaiming:
OUR GOD IS AWESOME!
Yes, I think I'll start with that one.
Here are the facts:
1. My son had both his legs broken and he now has 12 metal screws and 2 metal plates holding them together. The visualization of my child being broken in two was so.much.more than I could bear at times.
2. The surgeon admittedly said that he would not perform this surgery on his own child because the pain would be too intense.
3. None of the nurses caring for Jacob had ever cared for a patient with this type of procedure because it is that rare. One nurse told us that she had to google it and another nurse said that she bragged to all her nurse friends that she had a patient who had a femoral anteversion bilateral osteotomy and they all exclaimed, "Whooaa".
Now, here's the truth:
Jesus Christ, having overcome all pain at Calvary, is BIGGER than any pain and any fear that threatens to overtake us. And, we are front row witnesses to His awesome POWER to take it away. And, let me tell you...it is a pretty amazing thing to see.
We have finally quit waiting for the moment where fear or pain would take hold of Jacob. Leading up to the surgery, we thought maybe he was putting on a brave face. We thought, surely, at some point, he would succumb to the fear. It never happened. After surgery, I asked him if he was ever scared and he said, "No, because you told me that God was going to heal my feet." Plain and simple. My child was living out his faith in God's promised healing with such simplicity that will forever cause me to consider him one of the most courageous people I know...and he's 8.
Throughout his stay in the hospital, we kept thinking, "The pain is going to set in at any time." We waited and waited and anticipated and anticipated and....nothing. There were 3 moments of intense pain but we believe it was more in his head mentally than in his body. Those three times showed Jason and I how incredibly helpless we were to help ease the pain. Those glimpses of what our present reality could've looked like, and what we were told would look like, was enough to tell us that we were in no way prepared for it.
While pain has not been a major factor like we'd anticipated, Jacob is still confined to the bed at least until Christmas. His legs are difficult to move and he is under strict doctor's orders not to bear any weight whatsoever on them. We have to pick him up very carefully because that's when the pain surfaces. After 6 to 8 weeks, he will start with baby steps with the assistance of a walker until he can regain his lower body strength. The biggest challenge now is keeping that smart little brain of his stimulated. He does not object to all day tv watching so it's up to mommy to turn it off and turn on his imagination. And, we are happy to have visitors! He was smiling from cheek to cheek when his friend, Emma, came over the other night and played the Wii with him. Our door is open, so come on over!
Another HUGE praise is that Eli's celiac results came back NEGATIVE!! Praise the Lord!! I think I was finally able to exhale when the doctor told us that. He was diagnosed with Esophagitis because she saw excessive inflammation and irritation in his esophagus. A biopsy confirmed this diagnosis, which means he's basically had heartburn his entire life. The constant hoarseness of his voice is a result of this. He's now on medication and we hope that it will bring him some relief.
All in all, I truly feel like God has moved mountains for us. These two separate medical journeys have defined our lives the past few months. Over and over, we have pushed anxiety back as we prepared for the worst case scenarios in both situations. Had these two journeys occured at different times instead of simultaneously, I don't think we would've been so desperate for the Lord to intervene in such a miraculous way. So very clearly, the day I received the unfavorable test results of Jacob's celiac labs, the Lord laid this verse on my heart:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28
I was amazed at the translation of this verse in The Message. It perfectly summarizes our life during this journey:
"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." Romans 8:28
God has taken these two events and woven them together so intricately because He's up to something. I can feel it and I can see it; not in it's entirety but in what He's chosen to illuminate thus far. The depths and the heights that it has taken me, taken us, to is all for the purpose of drawing us closer to the One whose path we so desperately seek to follow. It has changed my heart and my purpose.
I believe that we have seen the power of the Lord manifest itself in such a mighty way because of the words spoken by so many of you. I have received so many heartfelt messages telling me of your prayers for Jacob. Some have even written out their prayers and I have spilled tears while reading them. While my sighs and groans prevented me many times from uttering a single word, you have acted as an intercessor and spoken on my behalf. You have pleaded and proclaimed divine healing and I am here to tell you, our God listens. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. We will forever walk in awareness that Jacob's path was straightened by the hands of one and by the voices of many.
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