We have been meaning to get an update out about Knox's diagnosis but life has been so busy the last few weeks with traveling, camp, and summer programming at church, that time has gotten away from us! And honestly, it's taken some time to process and decide how and what I wanted to say. For those who aren't familiar with what I'm talking about, you can read our original post, but the short version is that back in February, we received the diagnosis that Knox has Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA), which is an extra blood vessel in his heart that was supposed to close at birth but did not close. The doctor's recommendation was a catheterization surgery in order to close the vessel so that he is not susceptable to bacterial infections and extra pressure on his heart and lungs. We decided not to take any action until after he turned 2 in order for him to get bigger and stronger, and to give God time to heal the condition on His own. We had many of you praying with us that God would supernaturally heal Knox and that when we went in for a second opinion, we would find that no further action was necessary. We took Knox for a second opinion on June 9, the day after his birthday, and unfortunately, the PDA is still there. To be honest, this news was a shock to me because I was completely confident that God could and would perform a miracle by healing it on His own and use this situation for His glory. But God's ways are higher than our ways. And just because He did not heal Knox the way we asked, does not mean He will not use this situation for His glory. The fact that doctors are able to detect and correct this condition with minimal risk in the first place, is a miracle in itself. It's just not the miracle we were asking for exactly. But that is okay! I won't pretend to know what all of God's purposes are in having us walk through this journey, but I do know that His purposes are good. His purposes are perfect. And that His plans are to prosper and give hope and a future! But I also won't pretend that it didn't take me some time to get to a place where that is my reaction either. I think sometimes that Christians put on a front that everything is good and that trusting God in difficult circumstanes comes easily to them and I don't know why we do that because it's not helping anybody! It's really difficult when God answers our prayers differently than we expected or asked Him to. Or worse yet, when it seems as if we don't get an answer at all. I know that I have the gift of Faith, but my Faith is FAR from perfect and walking through this journey has shown me things about myself and areas of my faith where I need to grow. Living in a mostly Christian American bubble, I've learned to hold some expectations of God and faith that just aren't Truth. God wants us to be joyful and content, not because our circumstances are perfect, but because He is perfect. To summarize the Book of James, it is very clear that we will go through many trials and struggles here on Earth, but these trials are to bring us closer to God. They are to train and refine us so that we continually become more like Christ. God has very clearly shown up for our family in amazing ways throughout the years and I expect this situation to be no different... not because He is going to spare us from it, but because He is going to walk through it with us! With that being said, here are a few ways you can join us in prayer: 1st and foremost: As always, we are praying that God's Will will be done in this situation. We only want what God has for Knox and desire for Him to reveal His plans to us, as He sees fit, as we walk through this so that any decisions we make as parents, align with His will. 2nd: We are not giving up on asking for a miracle! It is not too late for God to heal Knox so we are asking just that. Specifically, we are asking that at our next appointment (TBD) that the doctors will not be able to detect the murmur while listening with a stethoscope (which will mean that the vessel has gotten smaller or closed) which will render surgery unnecessary. It's not over until the surgery is complete, therefore we will not cease asking for supernatural intervention until that time. 3rd: We are asking for God's peace, that transcends all understanding. It is a scary thing for a parent to hear that anything is wrong with your child and that they need medical attention to correct it. But so far, God has given us incredible supernatural peace in this situation so please pray that God would continue to comfort and calm us while walking through this with us. Our desire is that God will receive the most Glory possible through our lives and if it is necessary for us to transparently walk out difficult journeys in order to help draw others to Christ, we will accept that calling. Thank you all so much for being so encouraging and supportive through this! We are thankful for each and every one of you! Please feel free to reach out with questions and comments, we love hearing from you!
God Bless, Percy and Marin Hudson
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Marin HudsonMarin likes to stay up late and write. But sometimes Percy will write as well. :) Archives
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