Heroes Such As These

Sometimes a person will make a really bad decision and stay up until 1:30am the night (or rather, the morning) before she has to get up at 6:00am. Sometimes that works out really, really poorly for her.

But sometimes, only sometimes, it is utterly worth whatever might follow.

You see, I stayed up until 1:30am last night (this morning...ick) talking to a friend and the consequence of that conversation was not only the dang-blasted exhaustion I face today, but also an intense dose of hope and joy.

This same friend had invited me to her house over the weekend, and I had the privilege of meeting many of her family and friends. Last night, she told me a story about one of the women whom I encountered. Hebrews 11:38 describes heroes of the faith as people "of whom the world was not worthy." After I had heard this woman's story, I believe that I can honestly say that I have had the honor of meeting one of these people in the flesh. I don't know names, so I won't use them. Really, we only have five characters: Mama, Daddy, Doctor, Baby Boy, Little Brother, and Jesus. Here is their incredible tale of faith:

If you've ever seen the movie Up, you've seen an animated depiction of what miscarriage does. Imagine that you are that couple in real life. Imagine that nine times over. Mama gave birth to a son successfully the first time, but following him, she suffered nine incomplete births. The last one, Baby Boy, she actually delivered without issue.

Except there was a mistake.

A horrible mistake.

Doctor's mistake.

Because of this mistake, Baby Boy only lived in the air of this world for about half an hour. Then he went to be with Jesus.

For Mama and Daddy, this was the all-too-familiar grief suffered by the parents of another lost child. For Doctor, this was the grief of causing that loss.

What was that moment like? I can't even imagine. To lose your children one after another inside your own body, and then lose another outside your body because of the preventable mistake of the very person whose job it was to introduce your child to life--it's a horror story I never want to hear.

But this is not a horror story. This is not that story. This story has a different ending.

Mama became pregnant again. Perhaps they had already decided their course of action were this to take place. Perhaps the question presented itself only when their next pregnancy did. Either way, at some point they had to ask: What do we do?

Decision made, Mama and Daddy went to Doctor.

We forgive you, they said to Doctor.

We want you deliver this child, they said to Doctor.

What it was that went through Doctor's head and heart at that moment, what it was he said to these parents is not for me to know or speculate. All I can know is that the decision of this couple is such a clear reflection of Christ's selfless, αγαπη, love that it blinds me through physical tears in my eyes and the metaphysical magnificence of its beauty.

A few months later, Little Brother was born. He is the youngest of only 2 children on this earth, but truly the loved littlest of Mama and Daddy's 11.

What faith

What forgiveness

What trust in Christ Jesus that couple displayed to lay aside any thought of themselves or of bitterness from the past

What divine love.

The kingdom belongs to such as these.

Best wishes,
Nicole