by Linda Broday
Strength and Faith
We’re all tested from time to time because that’s God’s way
of helping us grow and learn. Life is about overcoming and finding strength
that we don’t know we have. Last year, my oldest granddaughter became pregnant
and about four months into it, her obstetrician referred her to a high-risk
doctor because she wasn’t gaining weight. The problem arose from her crohn’s
disease. We became concerned but knew the doctors were on top of it.
At six months she’d only gained three pounds and our worry
grew for the baby boy that my granddaughter had already named Asher James. The
specialist checked him very often and he wasn’t gaining much either. We prayed
and clung together as a family, putting our faith in God. We knew He had the
power to make this turn out all right and we had to leave it in His hands.
By December 2018, my granddaughter, eight months along, had
gained three more pounds for a total of six and finally had a small baby bump.
My heart was heavy when the doctor delivered the news that the baby only
weighed four pounds and was failing to thrive. He scheduled to induce the week
after Christmas and Asher James was born on December 30 at five pounds. Though
we breathed a sigh of relief, we knew he wasn’t out of the woods. In the days
following, he lost down to 4 lbs 5 oz but stubbornly clung to life.
I’m happy to say that Asher is now three months old and
steadily gaining weight, although still behind, not quite fifteen pounds. He
has blessed our family in countless ways. Never doubt the strength God gives us
and keep your faith strong for those trials yet to come.
Linda Broday finds strength and hope in walking beside her
granddaughter.
