When a person is told something that they believe in is impossible, their first inclination is to believe in it anyway. Believe against all hopes, against all of the overwhelming reports, and believe in God for that which has been deemed impossible. Many scoff that 'hope' is idealistic and will only result in deep regret. But I submit that some individuals have a grasp on something deeper than hope. They have faith. Faith in God.
To some, faith is a strange concept. Skeptics can say some very loud and scientific things against faith and God. And they have every right to. But regardless of those loud words, faith remains a strong core of communities, families, and my great country of America. I guess I already knew this, but I know now more than ever that God cannot be proved by science, or by man. God proves Himself. Some may doubt their beliefs, but faith itself cannot be extinguished. And when this faith is grounded in God, it has power that even the most knowledgeable of mortals cannot deny. It is my experience that those who believe in God regardless of the opinion of man, have decided that there is Someone bigger than man that has the power over life and death.
So why not believe in the impossible, eh? Why not have a little faith, ladies and gentlemen… in miracles?
I present to you a very young family. This family was normal enough for quite a while. Aaron and Heather already had two blonde-haired little girls and were naturally pleased when they found out they were pregnant with a boy. So, young Julianna and Lauren were to have a little brother! There’s nothing abnormal about that. Little boys are born every day. But what was unusual about the little boy Heather was carrying, was that he was not growing normally in the womb. This was naturally a shock to the whole family (including the two girls’ close grandparents), and requests for prayer were sent around to churches.
Understandably, the time that has followed has been a turbulent time for the family. The little boy, Benjamin, was born on January 6th, instead of the projected March 21st. That is a very premature baby. His diaper was the size of a large postage stamp. But premature babies are born every day. What makes him different? The more I became interested in the family, and the more I heard about their hard time, I found that it was their strong faith in God…in the impossible that only He could allow, to be what fascinated me and inspired me to write this.
I wanted to make this blog entry as factual as possible, so I figured that the best way to let you see the inside perspective to this story was to ask questions and get some answers. The children’s grandmother passed these questions on to the mother of Baby Ben. Heather was kind enough to answer them for this blog, and I share those stimulating answers with you now.
Here are the answers to the questions you gave to (my mother-in-law). She didn’t know the answers to some of them so she gave them to me. The only time I have to sit and write is when I’m holding Ben so I don’t have access to a computer. Hopefully written answers are ok.
1. When did (you) first find out something was wrong with Ben?
We first found out something was wrong with Ben on Friday December 28th. I went in for a routine US and they discovered that he was only ½ the size he should be and that my placenta wasn’t working so well.
2. What did the doctors initially say/advise?
It depended on the doctor, and we saw 10 of them over all. My doctor and 1 of the perineotologists said that this baby had a chance and lets do all we can to help him. Two of the perineotologists told me to go home and let him die.
3. What were (you) thinking when she heard what the doctors said?
I of course was scared, however I had the peace of God that all would be OK. Not easy or pleasant, but OK I had not experienced His peace so vividly like that before. It was wonderful and what got me through the2 weeks of bed rest and the 7 weeks since.
4. When did the emergency C-section take place? And what would the normal due date have been?
I had him on Sunday January 6th at 2:18 pm. His original birthday was supposed to be March 21st.
5. How much did Benjamin weigh? How premature was he? What did he look like initially? What was the first sign that he might live?
He weighed 15 oz. And was 11 inches long. He was just about 12 weeks premature. When I first saw him at 2 hours old he looked tiny, pink and cute. He looked like a normal baby only in miniature. He looked like a tiny version of Lauren. The first sign that he might live medically speaking was the fact that he breathed on his own for the first 6 hours of his life. He had a rough 2 weeks after that when the doctors were doubtful that he’d make it but I always knew that he would live and be OK.
6. What were the family’s and (your) reaction to Benjamin?
We all pretty much reacted the same way. We were relieved, overwhelmed and very joyful.
7. What were the doctors’/hospital staffs’ reactions to Benjamin?
They were surprised that he survived. Only ½ the babies his size do. He is the smallest baby at (the hospital) that they’ve had. They are very good and gentle with him. His room sees a lot of traffic. All of the nurses check on his progress and they “fight” to see who gets to take care of him.
8. What milestones has Benjamin already overcome?
Too many to write it seems. He has overcome a hole in his heart, immature lungs, 2 grade-one brain bleeds, and a digestive system that didn’t want to work at first. He also had a blood infection and a body full of bilirubin.
9. How much does Benjamin weigh now? How has he changed in appearance?
Ben weighs 1 lb 8 oz as of Feb. 25th. Hopefully that number will grow every day. He has changed quite a bit. For a couple of days he was black from bilirubin then he turned yellow. He is still a bit yellow but is starting to pink up. His ribs are a bit less visible now and he looks longer - probably because he is. He’s just under 12 in. Why do I think Benjamin is still alive? It’s very simple actually. Because God wants him to be and because God has a purpose for Bens life that only Ben can accomplish. We have been able to speak of God’s power and love to people we never would have had Ben not come to us the way he did. Although it has been tough, if given the choice, we would do it all again.
As I read those answers and saw the pictures of Baby Ben, I was touched to an unprintable degree. Ben is so small, so fragile, so helpless. And yet Someone is keeping his heart beating. Someone is whispering in his little ears that he has a purpose on this old earth. Someone is telling him to open his eyes and survey the world with wonder. That is not fate, or chance, or logical prediction. That is God.
I am not beyond thinking that some will scorn the simple faith of this family. But I don’t think that would change their faith in God one dot. Believing in God is not about proving anything. Believing in God to do the impossible is a choice. That choice is something that will baffle atheistic minds for both the centuries past and future, and you and I both know that where there are believers, there will be unbelievers. Unbelievers will shake their fist at the sky as though God is some drifting shape in the clouds, and will ask Him for proof of His existence before they can believe. But God is not limited to physical qualities and physical instruments and physical limitations. He is not ordered about by ‘all-knowing’ man. He cannot be described, because it would only limit Him. No, man cannot pull out instruments and measure God. And yet, while God cannot be proven by man, God can certainly prove himself through man. Even a little man…a little miracle… our Baby Ben.
I offer my deepest gratitude to those of you who read through this entire entry, and I hope these words encouraged some of you to hang in there today. Nothing is too hard… too difficult. For those of you who found this too sappy? tough. You needed sappiness today.
Regardless of whoever you are, if you think to pray, please send those prayers little Benjamin’s way.
7 comments:
Hi Andi.
Beautiful story, and I'm thrilled that little Ben is doing so well.
Without wanting to sounds like a miser:
I'm so intruiged about the power of prayer. Because obviously, all those people prayed, and had faith: and yet the parents went to a modern hospital. The baby is being kept alive through it's difficult early birth by modern medical science - the operations, the drugs, the breathing apparatus.
I sometimes wonder if people's faith were THAT strong, wouldn't you trust in the power of prayer only? Why bother with all the fancy medical science if you say it is your God and your prayers that are making the difference?
The doctors say that 1/2 of babies his size survive. That's 50 percent, 1 in 2, 5 in 10, 50 in 100. I doubt they were "surprised": they knew there was a half and half chance of survival, and did all they could to help. To claim that is somehow a miracle is unfortunately typical of a superstitious mind. If I said "I'm going to toss a coin, and it's going to come up heads," and then it did, would you say that it's a miracle? Because the odds are the same - 1/2, 50%.
It is almost sad that nowhere in your friends interview does she praise the doctors and nursing staff and facilities at the hospital. 100 years ago that babies chance of survival would have been 0% and no amount of prayer could have helped that.
But that is the illusion of prayer unfortunately.
It sounds horrible but it's true. No test has shown that prayer actually does anything.
If the baby had been given a 0% chance of survival and survived, then perhaps that would be a miracle.
We all have a tendency to want to read something greater into chance. But if you prayed to your wardrobe, it would have the same effect.
http://godisimaginary.com/video8.htm
"Yes" "No" or "Wait" is how God answers prayers, which conveniently makes chance answer any prayer while answering none. Proofs 1 and 2 on that site are also worth reading.
You say I'm a cynical atheist: rubbish! I'm not cynical, I'm a positive, life loving, fun person! I'm only cynical about religion, and I'm no more cynical about Christianity than I am about Islam, Hinduism, Scientology and healing crystals. I bet you're cynical about at least one of them.
You say that "believing in God to do the impossible is a choice."
But God didn't do anything impossible. Something that's 50% probability is not remotely impossible. If it were 51%, then it's almost likely! And yet there's beautiful baby Ben in the photos, and you say "SOMEONE is keeping his heart beating." Yet does it not occur to you that all those breathing tubes and apparatus surrounding him, and knowledge and care of the doctors and nurses have anything to do with it. Yet we all know that sadly, without that help, and with the power of God and prayer alone, little Ben would almost certainly have died.
Just a different perspective :) Hope I haven't said anything offensive, and I wish Ben and his parents all the very best.
You know what, Voltare44? I love that you have the ability to speak your mind. Because you're going to, regardless of what I say or what I believe in.
First of all... hello! Of course medical science was involved. The doctors' in Benjamins case were excellent - and they could not have helped Baby Ben without medical knowledge. That, dear Voltar44, is not an argument. My point was never that God never uses human technology or human abilities. After all, who would expect any baby to make it on earth without someone (regardless of medical advances) to look after them. God uses people, and medical science, and technology as He wills. I can't explain everything about Him -- I'm no angel of his. But you cannot deny people their faith, simply because you are so inclined. Okay, so you don't believe in religion. This is not religion - it is the interpretation of the Bible as truth for a couple and for the writer of this blog.
Thank you.
No problems :)
I have no problem really with your faith and belief in God, I'm merely presenting an alternate view. I only have problem when people try to put over faith-based claims as science, and teach nonsense in the science classroom, and "controversy" where there is none.
I'm glad you acknowledge the doctors and medical science, because in your original post you don't seem to, which is why I leapt on it ;-) Who knows, maybe it was a God that imparted to previous generations of medical scientists knowledge to assist them in births. (Although I would wonder why he didn't bother putting such useful information in the Bible for example! And the churches earlier distrust of medical science in forbidding autopsies etc crucial to our understanding of the body! Anyway, thats just to keep in my usual argumentative mode!)
I would never 'deny' people their faith, that would be to infringe on their rights as people! But I also have the freedom to question that faith. That's part of the wonder of having a secular government that allows freedom of religion for all, no matter what they believe.
Not sure what you mean by your last comment, "this is not religion, just the interpretation of the bible as truth." Not sure how choosing to regard and interpret an ancient 'holy' text as truth isn't religion in some form or another!
I'm interested, if it's not too personal: some religious believers claim to have had a personal experience of some sort, a revelation if you like, or a vision, or a clear moment of realization or communication with God. I've never had such, although if Jesus or god (or Vishnu) appeared to me at work one day in a ball of flame or something, I'd be pretty convinced! Just wondering if you have ever had an "experience". Are you born-again and if so was THAT your experience? Or something else? Just curious - it's about the only "evidence for God" that I have trouble with, because a personal experience is just that - personal. I always find those experiences interesting, although rarely find people who can pinpoint a defining moment. Maybe too personal to write on a blog!
Regards,
voltare44
Andi,
Baby Ben truly is a miracle. Miracles happen every day!
It is so great to hear that Ben's parents are going to keep him and give him the love and all that they can.
My adoptive parents took in a foster child back in the 70s (when I was just a kid) who was premature and very low birth weight and she is now married and hoping to start of family of her own soon. My mom still keeps in touch with her. My parents have taken in many foster children who were special needs (cerebral palsy, Down's Syndrome, legally blind, etc.) and they got adopted and most of them are still living. All kids like this need is love and to be treated like any other child.
Andi, Hopefully you'll let this comment through, but who knows. Its a reworked extract from PZ Myers latest on 'miracles'.
Here's a real miracle: I can take a pen, and drop it. Every time, it falls to the floor. I can drop it from different heights, I can drop different objects of different weights, I can measure its velocity and acceleration, I can go down the hall to a physics class and see students doing similar experiments, and getting similar results. I can find formulas that describe the behavior of dropped objects with amazing precision; I can even find equations that describe the behavior of objects outside my personal experience, like the movements of entire planets or of objects traveling near the speed of light. And these observations, measurements, laws, and theories are even useful, whether it's for lobbing artillery shells at a target 10 miles away or sending a probe to the moon 250,000 miles away. I'm pretty well satisfied that gravity exists. I may not comprehend how it works, but the phenomenon has at least been satisfactorily demonstrated.
Yet people try to tell me that there is something far more powerful and important than gravity, something that permeates the entire universe and has awesome knowledge and powers, that is greater than all and in control of the entirety of space and time, which personally and directly affects each individual on earth and offers them great gifts, like immortality and enlightenment and dominion.
From your comments Andi you appear to believe that its not the culmination of hundreds of years of the study of medicine, technological advances and improved drugs that have, in only the past few years given the ability for humans to allow (and I do mean allow) prem babies to live.
If this was all god driven then why is this only a recent development? Why have thousands of prem babies died in previous years? Please please please don't answer "Because god works in mysterious ways"
Mike
All righty. Voltare44, I only have a bit of time, but I am interested in this bit that you said.
"...I would wonder why [god] didn't bother putting such useful [medical] information in the Bible for example! And the churches earlier distrust of medical science in forbidding autopsies etc crucial to our understanding of the body!..."
It is very interesting to think why God didn't give us all the medical information that we need in His word. But if you ask yourself that question, you also have to ask yourself... Why didn't He tell us what kind of government we should use - because there are so many kinds, and Israel began with a Theocracy and moved onto a Monarchy - both of which would not work in todays' America). Why didn't He tell us how to brush our teeth? That's a pretty simple thing, but it's one of those basic health/medical precautions that could prevent a multitude of complicated problems. No where in the Bible can you find an account of God telling man to brush his teeth. Another good point. God also didn't tell us in the Bible how to breathe. Hmm. Maybe, it's because He gave us the innate ability to learn things independant of research. When one can breathe, one doesn't think about it - it's an instinct. It's the same with thinking. If one 'thinks' about 'thinking' - that's a very sad course of thought. Since I believe in Creation, I believe that when God created man - He gave Him the ability to think and breathe naturally. He didn't have to tell man how to do it. And as man explores and discovers new things (for instance, o, say science), he is using the abilities to learn that God gave him. If God were to fill his Bible with every petty thing man should do, it would be telling us that He hadn't created man with the ability to be independant of a Supreme Being. This may seem funny for me to be saying, but man truly has the ability to think and reason independantly of a Supreme Being. His thought faculties wouldn't be working if it weren't for their creation to begin with, but God did not create robots. He created an independant creature - and He gave man the CHOICE of believing in Him and thinking like Christ (employing His word). God also gave us the ability to explore Science and Medicine - my attack was never against either of the two. I think Science and Medicine are excellent fields of study - ones that fascinate me, and ones I know take years of study to truly grasp. But I am not about to say that just because man 'discovers' something means that it is a 'new' thing. Truly, the discovered phenomenon was already there - God already knew of it - man only discovered it.
I believe the process of learning is one of the reasons why God created age. We learn small things at first, and the bigger we get the more we absorb and understand. But just because a child discovers for the first time how to read and write, does not mean that he discovered something new. It is indeed probable that medicine and the such has been practiced by many different cultures, though perhaps it was not as advanced as it is today. However, it's an interesting pondering to think of the time before the Biblical flood. It could have been very advanced, and because of its' power felt it necessary to deny God. This is interesting - I don't get it. Who is man to be born and know death is imminent, and yet in his short span of life - declare he knows better than God? This, to me, is astounding. I feel pity for the little man that shakes his fist at God or even the idea of God.
You can see why I answer so few of your questions. I fear I elaborate to such an extent that I never have time after work and school to answer them all in my fashion.
Mike, you said
"If this was all god driven then why is this only a recent development? Why have thousands of prem babies died in previous years? Please please please don't answer "Because god works in mysterious ways". "
I kinda already touched on that, but I'm pretty sure you don't really want to 'know', you just want to know what I 'think' so you can refute it. Nevertheless, I'll pose this thought to you. If you had been born a thousand years ago, you wouldn't have the depths of science at your fingertips right now as we speak. You would, in fact, be mere history. You could've been a totally different person, with a different family line, and a different set of friends. I used to think about characters in history. There would be a story about an 18 year old girl, and I'd think - my, she's almost my age. The only thing that separates us, is time. It makes you think doesn't it? Why weren't you born yesterday instead of today? I can't answer that, and neither can science. But I think if God were to answer it, he'd explain that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Pretty sure He knows each person, and He knows when the perfect time to create each would be - whether in an age where prem-medical-assistance would abound, or not. Do you believe, Mike, that the things that happen have a purpose? or do you believe that they just happen? I believe that Baby Ben happened for a purpose, and at just the right time. There's nothing horribly mysterious about that.
Voltare44, you wrote:
"Are you born-again and if so was THAT your experience? Or something else? Just curious - it's about the only "evidence for God" that I have trouble with, because a personal experience is just that - personal. I always find those experiences interesting, although rarely find people who can pinpoint a defining moment."
To that, I can definitely say there was a defining moment. I realize that you have to sift through 'religions' and are naturally skeptical of these 'personal' experiences that people claim to have. I myself am skeptical sometimes when somebody claims to be saved, or born again, but then lives like their practicing of religion is more saving than God. I suppose I, too, am guilty of dispising a hypocrite...a two-faced person. I like it when people just come out and say what they believe - and then live like they believe in what they say. I can tell you a time, though, when I was around 9 years old that someone preached one of those great 'hell-fire-and-brimstone' sermons. I was terrified, and began crying because I was so sorry for whatever I had done that would put me there. I realize that to you now sounds like a child that has been scared into realizing the concept of 'sin', but I submit to you that I knew I was guilty of many things and that I didn't deserve special treatment from any God. So, I prayed the sinners prayer at 9 years old, right there in my little pew. Simple enough. Saved by grace through faith - not by works alone. I felt a peace like I had never known - I'm not scared to admitt it. And yeah, it is personal Voltare44, but I have nothing to hide so I don't mind sharing it. It hasn't been easy believing since then. I had a couple good years where I doubted my salvation and then I hated God, and din't want to believe in Him. I was tired of looking around and seeing people 'trusting in God' and pretending to be 'holier than thou' when they were really no better than the rest of us. Gradually, though, I began to read the Bible for myself - I din't want anybody else 'interpreting' it for me. And things I thought I had discovered, just little stuff, popped out at me, and I was like - wow, God said that? God's word wasn't just a good book to me, it was something that made sense. It was a rock in the midst of all of the 'religious people' around me that perverted it. I determined not to define my faith as a 'religion', but as something that was truly personal. There have been times where - and this is not at all scientific - I have talked to God about everything I don't understand. Perhaps it seems foolish to you, but I never was more sure of God than when I would actually talk to Him, and then be silent and think. God never answered me in an audible voice, but there have been dozens of times when I could NOT get through something. There was no possible way. But since I knew I was so weak, I didn't mind praying for God to make me strong, and He did. He got me through it. I have seen His hand in my life, and in others' around me so much - it's amazing! Truly, I normally have the hardest time expressing this to people, but I feel freer the more I talk about it. It's nothing to hide - it's something to talk about! But don't take my word for it - you have every natural born right to be skeptical and even to scorn me. Read it for yourself. Romans and Acts are good places to start.
It's really late - I have a voice competition tomorrow, and I need to rest up. I'm really nervous about it, but I remember last year before I sang, I saw a sign that said 'Never ever ever ever ever give up'. That's another example of when I could NOT humanly get through something, and God helped me. I hope I see that sign again this year. ;)
Thanks for hanging in there and reading this. Hope you guys have a fun weekend! Don't get into to much trouble, and all that jazz...
Some one on myspace stole your baby's pic and post them up and made up a huge story about how it was her loss. I honestly fell in love with your baby and i even have his pic on my phone because i fell for her story... i just thought you should know
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