Why i believe in miracles…

This world is full of chaos and hurt; heartache and pain. Life isn’t fair. It’s easy to become cynical.

But I believe God brings us miracles to help us keep from losing faith. There are little things that happen every day that prove He is present. Miracles? Maybe. Coincidence? Possibly. But as disheartened as I might sometimes feel, I can always look back on the one profoundly indisputable miracle He gave my family and I remember that He is here and that He loves us. No matter how bad things seem to be, our miracle always reminds me that there is a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel.

When my phone rang one hot July day twelve years ago, the last thing I expected to hear was that my sister-in-law was on her way to the hospital to have a baby. I could feel the blood draining from my face. It was too early. The baby wasn’t due for another month. This baby, for whom my sister-in-law and my brother had waited so long, might not be ok.

A few months earlier, an ultrasound showed what was determined to be a tumor on the baby’s spine. The tumor was wrapped around one of his kidneys. My sister-in-law’s doctors kept an eye on things for the following months, monitoring the baby to make sure there was no imminent threat to his well being. Although the news of a tumor was saddening and scary, the doctors were optimistic that it could be removed shortly after the baby’s birth. My brother and his wife were told that the baby would be ok, but that they would have to take precautions. This child wouldn’t be playing any contact sports. There was no soccer or rugby player in their future, but he would be ok and he would live a fairly normal life. And that was enough.

My sister-in-law’s pregnancy progressed fairly normally over the next several months while we, her family, prayed desperately that things wouldn’t take a turn for the worse. Things continued to go well while my sister-in-law and my brother adjusted to the fact that although their’s wasn’t a fairy tale story, the news could have been much worse.

On that hot July day, my sister-in-law had gone in for her scheduled ultrasound. The tumor had not changed over the past several months, but the doctors found something alarming that particular day. The baby’s tumor had doubled in size. They had to take him now. Surgery was imperative.

I waited nervously all day for news of the baby’s safe arrival. I wondered how my sister-in-law was doing, having been robbed of a normal and happy delivery and being given this urgent and terrifying one instead. All day long I felt anxious and sad for her. Why couldn’t she have a completely healthy and normal baby? It didn’t seem fair after the multiple miscarriages she had suffered over the past couple years.

After what seemed an eternity, the news finally came. The baby had arrived. Daniel was his name. Daniel David. My godson. Danny had been examined closely by a team of doctors as soon as possible after his birth to determine how and when to proceed with his surgery. My brother asked me to come to the hospital as soon as possible. Danny was going to be dedicated(baptized) to God right there in the hospital.

I drove to the hospital in somber silence. My mind raced and my heart ached that my sister-in-law was having to think about things like having Danny dedicated as soon as possible… just in case.

“Just in case” what? I didn’t want to think about losing Danny so soon after he’d arrived. It wasn’t fair. I couldn’t imagine the emotions my brother and his wife were experiencing. It just wasn’t FAIR.

When I walked into the hospital room, my brother, siblings and my parents were huddled around my sister-in-law’s bed as she held her newborn son. There was a peaceful calm in the room as I entered, wondering what to say, what to feel and how to act.

“Come hold your godson,” my sister-in-law offered.

I took him from her arms and began to cry. He was beautiful. He was perfectly formed and he looked so normal and healthy.

“He’s alright,” she told me.

I looked at her, confused.

“They can’t find evidence of a tumor. It’s gone.”

I was stunned, overwhelmed, overjoyed… and confused. How could this be? With all the technology and advances in modern medicine, how is it possible that a mistake of this magnitude could still be made?

But my brother and his wife had a better idea. It wasn’t a mistake. It was a gift from God. A true miracle. The monthly ultrasounds had consistently shown the tumor and the last one clearly showed that it had doubled in size. It wasn’t a shadow. It wasn’t a fluke. It was there. And now it was just gone.

Danny was dedicated to God that day in the hospital room. My heart overflowed with love for my godson while I prayed and begged God to let it be true; to let him be healthy. In the days and weeks following Danny’s birth it was confirmed. There was no tumor. Danny was perfectly healthy. A true gift from God. I believe.