HSBC Coffeebreak

That whatsoever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
John 15:16b

About 1 ½ years ago our 15 year old grandson (he was 13 at the time) was having some eye problems. It occurred to his mother that he wasn’t focusing. Since it was almost time for a checkup, she took him in to see his eye doctor. In the coming weeks, he was to see several doctors, the last being a specialist in Portland.

After one long day spent in Portland, the doctor came to the conclusion that our grandson had a terminal disease of the eye – one that could not be treated. He told our son-in-law that he was 95% sure. Eventually he would lose his sight, become an invalid and would probably not live much beyond 20 years. What a heavy load for our son-in-law to carry!

He called us and told us about the “diagnosis” and my husband and I felt numb. We cried and prayed a lot that night. The next day, we had to get busy and notify our family. That’s when our grandson was placed on MANY prayer chains across the country – east coast to west coast, north to south. I talked to my cousin at Bob Jones University and she told me that the school would pray for a miracle! Our daughter couldn’t seem to talk to anyone, but just kept to herself. Finally, she called and we cried, prayed and had the best conversation.

Days went by and they turned into weeks. Finally, just before Christmas, the call came that the test they were waiting for was negative! Praise the Lord! The doctor was in shock, wondering how he had misdiagnosed the situation! Certainly there were those of us that knew the hand of God was in this and that it had been a miracle! The doctor, however, wanted to do the test a second time. Again, the “waiting game” began, but it turned out negative a second time. The other test they did revealed our grandson does have a severe problem with his eyes. He was diagnosed with “Cone Dystrophy” which has to do with genetics. He can lose his sight, but they can’t say how much or if he will be totally blind - but God spared his life!

We don’t know what God has planned for him, but he certainly seems to get along well with the sight that he has. I cannot say what I would feel if a doctor were to tell me that one of my children would not live long. It certainly has made me aware of the fact that our time on earth is totally in God’s hand. All things are in His time!

Written by
Delma Lebien