Mary Christmas

I’ve been thinking about Mary quite often this year. As a mother, I feel myself trying to relate to her side of the Christmas story. How was her experience as a first-time mother? Most of us found out we were expecting a child with a home pregnancy test. She had an angel appear to her. (No doubt about those results!) She was told she would have a boy. (No gender-neutral clothes for God’s Son!) AND the angel told her what to name Him. (No arguing with Joseph about names.)

You will be with child and give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus.
Luke 1:31

Then I thought about the worry that often accompanies a pregnancy. Is my baby going to be okay? Will he be healthy? What will my labor be like? Will we both be okay? Again, no worries. Mary had to have utmost confidence in God to be chosen to bear His Son, so of course she would have confidence that His Son would be healthy and safe through pregnancy and delivery. It would be hard for Him to deliver the world, without first making it into it.

I thought about Mary as she and Joseph had their children. Think about the SHOCK to Mary when the rest of her children did not always “Honor Their Parents”. Do you think she asked them, “What would Jesus do?”

Mary had confidence in God. She knew nothing would happen that was outside of His perfect plan. Do we have that same confidence? We may not have had an angel announce our firstborn, or delivered the Savior of the world. But we all fit into God’s plan. Even if things do not go smoothly, He is still in control. He is enough.

Whether we are delivered “from the storms” (we avoid them), “through the storms” (we survive after them) or “by the storms into His arms” (we get to Heaven because of them) we can rest assured that we are delivered. Jesus made sure of that!

As Long As They're Healthy

My husband I were playing cards. We were dreaming about our next little baby (if we are ever so blessed) and what they may be like.

Anyway, my husband stated that is doesn't matter as long as he/she is... and he listed off some wonderful attributes. Then of course, I added, "And they have a healthy heart." His reply was rather defensive as he stated that a heart condition wasn't the worst thing (as our oldest son has one) and I just broke down. Of course, I LOVE "E". He means the world to me and to see how he has fought through the surgery and many appointments is inspiring to say the least. However, another surgery will come. Then another. It's a tough road ahead for him, and I cannot imagine watching another precious child endure the same.

I understand where "A" (my husband) defensiveness was coming from. As much as I empathize with the mothers who say, "I don't care if it's a boy or a girl, as long as they're healthy", a small part of me is angered by this statement. Don't get me wrong, I never fault anyone for praying for a healthy baby. But something inside of me cringes, as if E is any less of a blessing to us because of his CHD.

The science is startling, as 1 in 100 babies are born with a CHD. However, for some reason because we already have a child with this condition, our chances increase to 1 in 25. Those are scary odds. Until you look at the flip side. According to science I have a 24 in 25 chance of having a baby without CHD.

At this point, I just have to trust God. Whether He blesses us with another healthy child, or decides in His infinite wisdom to bless us with a child with a health condition. He knows what we need, before we do. He also will see us through the storms in our life: medical and otherwise. I am comforted by Psalm 73:26: My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.