Cutest Blog on the Block

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

God doesn't make mistakes...

I actually started writing this post a long time ago. It has been sorta "marinating" in my mind.


After Zach was diagnosed with CHD, I struggled with many questions. The one that plagued me the most was,

If God doesn't make mistakes, then how do you explain heart defects (or any other birth defects, for that matter)?

First, let me set the record straight. As any parent of a child with special needs will tell you, there is a whole continuum of emotions that you go through, particularly in the beginning. You experience everything from anger with God to denial to fear to complete trust in The Creator. Since God created me and my emotions, I don't think any of those feelings are wrong unless I allow them to turn me away from God indefinitely. God will use even negative emotions to draw me to Him, BUT I have to make the choice to move toward Him and not away from Him.

So, as Bill and I sat in the waiting room during Zach's first surgery, the BT Shunt, I opened my Bible and began reading. I was crying out to God to please save the life of our baby through the skilled hands of the surgeon, anesthesiologis, and nurses. I was questioning why God allowed this to happen to our little boy. I was needing confirmation of what I knew in my head to be true --- God does not make mistakes.

At the time, my mind just couldn't produce any addresses to scriptures that would settle my head and heart on this matter. Now, as I sit at my computer, I can use Bible Gateway to do a keyword search to find any number of verses about God's perfection, such as:


Deuteronomy 32:4
The Rock—His work is perfect;
all His ways are entirely just.
A faithful God, without prejudice,
He is righteous and true."


Psalm 18:30
As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.


Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.


Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


God is perfect. His will is perfect. His creation is perfect.
Despite turning to these truths, even now I still struggle with my son's diagnosis - Congenital Heart DEFECT.
A defect is a mishap, a flaw, a mistake. Not perfect.


In the midst of all the turmoil going on in my grieving heart as I sat in that waiting room, as helpless as my baby laying on that cold operating table, God gave me this scripture:


1 Corinthians 12: 14-20
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.


Now, I know that Paul is talking about spiritual gifts here and how everyone has an important role, no matter what they were gifted to do. Maybe I am interpreting this scripture out of context, which can be a dangerous thing to do. Nonetheless, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that 1 Corinthians 12: 14-20 gave me a measure of peace that morning so long ago. God didn't make a mistake. God created Zach and his special heart just as He wanted them to be. Perfect.


Sunday, May 16, 2010

Scripture in action...

As I was looking at some pictures from the past week, I noticed that God has a way of showing us His word in everyday life, if we are just willing to look for it. For instance...

Zach with his Daddy...
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19






















Zach and Rebecca's cousin, Eli...
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:8








  
  
  
  
  
  
  






Eli again...

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:4







Zach on a "mountain" of mulch...
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20










 







Zach + WASHABLE paints...
Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Psalm 97:11





Zach with Nana...
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5


Zach with his "Sissy"...
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34


What a challenge to each of us... to truly "love one another." I can testify that life with our Heart Warrior helps us to remember to do just that!


Monday, May 3, 2010

Birthday celebration! Updated...

On his birthday, Zach proudly proclaimed "I'm getting big!"


I said that yes, he was getting big.
I told him that when he was born, he was so little that I could hold him in one arm, like a football.

He said "Did you throw me?"
That boy is a hoot!!


We celebrated Zach's birthday at Mr. Gatti's, which is one of those places that makes a heart mom shudder and bathe their little heart hero in Germ-X. Anyway, it is a lot of fun. We played games, ate pizza and salad, Zach opened presents and we all ate cake (Bill and I cheated on our diet and it was soooo good!), and then we played some more games. Zach and Rebecca got free tokens for the bumper cars and loved it despite Mommy's hesitance to let Zach ride. Here are a few pictures from the day...

Look at that smile! How could Mommy say "No"?

The Batman version of Whack a Mole --- see the huge Batman glove Zach has on?

My two strong men!

Zach's latest favorite movie... Up!

Our own personal cake maker: Nana! She made our wedding cake and just about every birthday cake for the kids! She is very talented!

Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye!

Ready to blow!

It's the Red Baron flying high!

We all had a blast!

Nana and Papa came up on Saturday to celebrate some more. You just can't have too many birthday celebrations! They brought him a super cool gift...


Guess what he would rather play with?



He also got a couple of cards with money in them from family members. He says that he is saving his money so he can go buy some new underwear. Go figure...