Joe and I read a short devotion out of the "Upper Room" almost every night before we go to bed. I believe God speaks to people through devotions, Bible verses, and everyday events. . . . that if we truly seek His guidance, He often shows us His will for our lives. I believe that He is involved in and concerned about our lives on a daily basis. I have found it to be true time and time again.
Shortly after we received Drew's referral information last Spring, this was the Bible verse in our devotion:
"For you formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise you, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made."
Psalms 139:13-14
Drew has amniotic banding sydrome. This means that while he was in the womb, he became tangled in bands that broke off from the amniotic sac. Because of this, he is missing fingers, his toes are webbed, and he has several deep banding scars around his fingers and his leg. When we read these verses last year, we felt that God was giving us some confirmation that this child was meant to be in our family. We later accepted his referral and moved forward with our adoption.
A few weeks ago, I took Drew to an ophthamologist appointment. We were sent to the appointment for a routine vision screening to make sure that he did not have a lazy eye or other vision problems, as these are more likely in children who have been in orphanages. At that appointment, the doctor said that Drew had optic nerve atrophy or hypoplasia. She was very surprised that he did not seem to have the vision problems normally associated with this condition. She immediately ordered an MRI, because optic nerve atrophy is very often related to defects or other problems in the brain, which could delay growth and development and cause lifelong health issues. I am a bit of a worrier, so I have been quite anxious about the MRI. We have been praying so hard over the last few weeks. Last Friday was our MRI. We were told we would not know anything until Monday or Tuesday, but our pediatrician called us before we even got home from the hospital. PRAISE the LORD, everything was completely normal. Although there is apparently some sort of scarring in the back of his eyes, the scan showed that his optic nerves are OK, and all structures in his brain are completely normal.
Psalms 139 was in our nightly devotion again this week. For me, that is a reminder that our newest little one is fearfully and wonderfully made.
