Miracles Are Not Always Instant

On September 27, 1988, my husband and I agreed to adopt triplet baby boys who were due in December of that same year. Two days later, they were born prematurely weighing 2 lbs. 9 oz., 3 lbs. 1 oz., and 3 lbs. 9 oz. As is common in many premature babies, their lungs were underdeveloped. They were placed on ventilators. They all had bleeds in their brains. They all had holes in their hearts. The smallest baby was in the worst condition. We got a phone call at 8 a.m. that morning, informing us of their birth and condition. We knelt by our living room sofa and prayed. I remember telling the Lord that we already loved these babies, but if He chose to take them to heaven, we would accept it without anger. We promised that if He left them with us, we would raise them for Him.

Before they left the hospital, the holes in their hearts had closed without surgery. Matthew and Michael came off their ventilators and oxygen fairly quickly. The smallest baby, Mark, was on the ventilator longer. He came home at three months but remained on oxygen until six months. All the babies were on heart monitors due to episodes of sleep apnea. There wasn’t a lot of sleep for months, but the babies grew strong. Family and church friends supported us. There are too many to name them all, but God sent us three special helpers who will always be remembered with love. John’s sister, Susan, came every Friday and went home on Mondays for over a year, leaving her older boys in the care of her husband, Mike. John’s Aunt Mary came almost every day for nearly two years. And a precious lady in our church, Mrs. Marcelle Grindle came every Monday for the first year. It was a joyous and exhausting time.

We were told by medical professionals that our boys would definitely have learning disabilities due to the bleeds in their brains. We were told they would never be able to run and play like other children because of the damage to their lungs caused by prematurity and the ventilators. It seems that the machines that saved their lives also created scars in the lungs similar to burn scars due to forcing air into the lungs. We were told Mark’s lungs were so bad he could develop emphysema by age seven. Mark was also diagnosed with retinopathy, an irreversible eye condition that would limit his peripheral vision. After each diagnosis given over the first two years of their lives, I remember thinking, “We’ll deal with it.”

To make a long story shorter, our boys graduated high school as members of the National Honor Society. They also played four years of college baseball and were some of the fastest runners on the team. An eye doctor told me when Mark was seven or eight that he must have been misdiagnosed with retinopathy as an infant because it is an irreversible condition, and he had absolutely no sign of retinopathy. In fact, Mark and Michael came home after high school physicals and informed me they had better than 20/20 vision. I didn’t think you could have better than 20/20 vision. The doctor told them they both had 20/10 vision which is better than 20/20. Who knew!

Please do not misunderstand. I’m not claiming their health was “perfected.” We went through our share of ear infections, tube surgeries, tonsil/adenoids surgeries, broken arms, stitches, and childhood illnesses. Their health was normal, and THAT was the miracle. It was a miracle that revealed itself over years, not instantly. Many times as I have prayed for our boys through the years and brought concerns to the Lord, He has quietly asked me, “When did you give them back to me?”

Look at the record of Abraham and his offering of Isaac, and you see a parent who slaughtered his hopes and dreams in submission to God’s plan. God responds with an awesome blessing (Genesis 22:1-18). I look at that record differently now. I have come to understand that total surrender of our will, our hopes and dreams frees God to fully work in our lives. How about you? Do you need to fully surrender in prayer at the altar of God? Do it now, my friend, and trust God to work His best in Your life. It may takes years to see the miracles unfold, but you will eventually see the unmistakable work of His miraculous hand in your life.

Lord, thank You for the miracles You have performed in my life! Give me eyes to see and believe for the instant answers as well as those miracles that unfold over years. To You all glory is given! Amen