through fields of grass

This picture was taken in a large grassy field just down the street from our house when Luke was about two weeks old (thanks, Shauna Maness).

On the day that Luke was born, as I prayed for him, God gave me a vision of my little man, as a one or two year old clumsy toddler, running through this field.

He was playing, laughing, throwing a ball, smiling, falling and getting up, shrieking with delight.

He was happy, loving life, loving the outside.  And he was running.  Running on two beautiful, healthy, chubby little legs.


My sweet little man was born with posterior medial tibial bowing and calcaneovalgus foot displacement of the left lower extremity.  These are big words to mean that his left tibia is bowed at the distal end, forcing his little foot up and out.  So on his birthday, his left foot was in a position that the top of his foot literally rested upon his left shin.

We had no idea that he would be born this way.  And "they" have no idea what causes this problem.  It is a rare congenital anomaly and most research blames it on intrauterine positioning.  He grew this way inside of me.

I have kept fairly private about the issue until now.
There are several reasons for that.
Fear.  Pride.  The desire to protect Luke and our family.  The desire to not feel exposed.

But in my efforts to hide what was really going on in our house, I have hidden the goodness of the lord.  

This is our road.
This is our journey.
To have a child with some special needs.
Lots of doctors appointments.
Therapy.
Splints, casts, and shoes made just for him.
Questions, answers, and more questions.

Prayer.

Luke's prognosis is good, though slightly uncertain.  Our orthopedic surgeon tells us that his foot will be in a more natural position by the time he is one.  And that his bone will be straightened out by the time he is eight or nine.  And in the meantime, he will meet his milestones - including walking.  He will probably limp.  He will probably have a leg length discrepancy that will need to be corrected surgically, with a halo cast.

But my vision for Luke is more than good, and faith alone makes it not uncertain at all.  The Lord will heal his foot.  The Lord will straighten his leg.  The Lord will perform miracles on my little man and he will not only walk, but he will run through fields of grass.  

We believe in the healing power of God's hand.
We believe in the strength of prayer and petition.
We believe that Luke is our son for a reason, and that God has given him to us for the sake of an incredible journey, and this is just part of our road.  

I want to document bits and pieces of this road so that we can look back and see how God has worked in our lives.  I want to remember these early days and weeks and months so that we can praise God for his goodness and great gifts.

Like this one.

I confess fear and doubt.  I confess anger and frustration and sadness and disappointment.
But I declare a love for God and a love for His plans for us.

Join us in praying healing over our little man.