Intended for Life

One night this week Joe started telling me about a conversation he had with a co-worker. What she said to him infuriated me. He was telling one woman about Liam and another woman was listening. She asked Joe if I'd had an amniocentesis. Joe told her no because it would not change anything for us if we'd found out there was something wrong with the baby. The co-worker said to him, "Isn't that socially irresponsible?"

WHAT!?!?!?!

If I'd been there I'm pretty sure I would have said a lot of not nice things and someone may have had to hold me back because the urge to slap her across the face would have been hard to resist. Who does she think she is implying that for Liam to have life is in some way harmful to society? That is my son she's talking about. My son.

What gives any of us the right to determine who should or should not have life? Most fertilized eggs are not viable pregnancies. And of those, it is believed that most of them have a genetic disorder. Of those genetic disorders, it is thought the majority could be sex chromosome disorders. The odds that I carried Liam through a healthy, full-term pregnancy are pretty low. He is miraculous. So I think that in order for him to have survived the natural way God created to ensure most children are born healthy, must mean he is here for a reason. He is no accident. My body didn't screw up by allowing him the chance to enter the world. No, the Creator intended him for Life. His hand is in all creation, I believe no child is created without Him.

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."

Romans 11:36

This semester I am only taking one class. Old Testament. And the last two weeks we have been talking about CREATION. I was shocked this past week to find that our discussion made me emotional. I cannot help but wonder how Liam fits into the order.

I don't know why God allows little blips in our genetics. I have always assumed that it is a result of the Fall. But is it? Are genetic disorders the same as pain, sickness, and disease? I don't know the answer to these questions but I do know that God made Liam and that his existence is not an accident and therefore he is an indispensable part of the body of Christ.

The last 6 months have been unlike any other time in my life. They feel like a blur that I can barely remember but at the same time they have impacted me deeply and permanently.

Liam. I am so proud of everything he has accomplished. He is a hard worker and very determined. My little man is a tiny guy. He weighs in at a whopping 12 pounds (Sophie Grace weighed 12 pounds at 2 months). He has great head control but still gets tired and loses it after a while. He cannot push himself up with his arms when he is on his tummy. But he can lift that head up to 90 degrees. He is no where close to sitting up. But he has worked so hard to do what he is capable of. He finally coos and babbles. He is eating rice cereal but just a tiny amount and the adjustment to food is going to be a slow process. He will gain all of these abilities eventually. But sometimes it is hard to accept that Liam is unique. There's just no comparison to other babies and it is much better to not compare him.

I am so thankful that we found out about Liam when he was only 1 week old. If we hadn't I would be freaking out right now that something is wrong with my son and we probably wouldn't have had a genetic test yet. There is an untold component to Liam's story. This untold was by far the worst part of what we have experienced with him and it is the reason we know. We aren't quite ready to tell the untold story. One day I know I have to because it will help me, but not yet.

For now, we have peace. Peace and joy in the son God blessed us with. Peace in knowing he is just who God made him to be. And peace in knowing that Liam is Intended for Life. So don't ever try to make me think that his life and our choice to give him the chance to have life is socially irresponsible.