LOVE AND THE ECONOMY OF GOD

Eleven years ago a baby was born in circumstances that appeared to stack the entire world against him--born deaf, without eyes, and with a severe cleft palette that left a large gaping orifice where his mouth should be. Doctors gave the parents a grim prognosis for the child's survival, but these were no ordinary parents, and the doctors didn't know that all the missing and weak parts of his body were balanced out by an enormous will and heart.

Other medical problems were revealed over time, but in the ultimate economy of God, this very special child was sent to parents with equally enormous hearts and wills, who also possessed technology and computer savvy. This became crucial as the many machines and medical technologies required to sustain their son during those early months rolled in and out of their home and through many hospital doors. When no one else could determine a diagnosis for the many diverse challenges their son faced, his mommy headed to the Internet and researched until she found her own answer which the specialists then confirmed. In another great demonstration of the economy of God, this child was born in an area with some of the best pediatric hospitals in the world, and with family near the others they needed.

Special texture-rich blankets were made that rattled and crinkled to stimulate his active senses. His world was filled with textures and toys that encouraged the development of his remarkbale intellect while his mother and father sought out ground-breaking treatments for his blindness and hearing loss. Soon, he was fitted with a Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid so he could hear, and within months he was speaking. I remember the first Knock-Knock joke he told me. He now plays about seven musical instruments and is composing symphonies, and writing poetry.

The world is his oyster, because if he can dream it, and it can be fulfilled, it is. His parents have helped him host parades in the front yard with loving aunts, garden tractors, pets and musical instruments in tow. At Christmas, this child who cannot eat solid food, still bakes cookies. One year the Christmas Cookie project was an alphabet train. There is music and learning everywhere in this house, and so much humor and love.

When the Primary children at Church performed their annual program, there he was, front and center, singing and accompanying his peers on the violin, and when this young man prepared for baptism, the support from extended family and friends was tremendous.

I'm going to help his mom write his biography one day. It's needful. His parents are a lighthouse to other moms and dads receiving a painful diagnosis about a medically-challenged child. Their story illustrates how boundless love and support can break through the ceiling of expectations for any child. It's more than inspiring.

My special friend is having some new challenges today. His parents put out a call to their tight circle for prayers for their boy. I've withheld their names to protect their privacy, but please pray for this special young man. God will hear your petition for this anonymous angel and apply your faith to his good. You see, God knows this boy very well, as He does each of His children.