Day 42

 

Miracles

 

"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

 

John 20:30-31

 

 

This picture is similar to the one that appeared on the front page of the Houston Chronicle and various other newspapers around the country back in March of 1992.

 

Do you believe in miracles? Do you think miracles stopped with the end of Bible times? What makes a miracle? My answer are: Yes, I believe in miracles. I think God still does miracles. Miracles are the supernatural activity of God. I have theological and practical reasons for my belief. I will not go into the theological reasons here, (this isn't the blog for that), but I will tell you about the practical reason I believe in miracles. I have one living in my house.

 

My wife really did well after the heart transplant. Though we were not sure she could ever get pregnant she took birth control pills just in case. Her new heart was doing fine but a pregnancy was not a good idea.

 

Despite all the chemo therapy she had, the damage it had done, numerous surgeries (including the heart transplant) and being on the pill, 4 months after her surgery Cathy became pregnant.

 

The doctors were concerned. An abortion was recommended. Those who recommended it were quickly told that it was not an option.

 

On several occasions I took Cathy to the obstetrician. Because she was immunosuppressed after the heart transplant (for medical reasons)  we did not have to sit in waiting rooms but were immediately ushered into a examination room. A nurse would come into the exam room and say, "I need for you to take off your pants, get in that chair and put your feet into those stirrups." When I heard this I would get up and go to the waiting room. After hearing this several different times on one occasion she gave her speech. "I need you to take off  your pants,  get in the chair and put your feet in the stirrups."

 

I looked at the nurse and asked, "Are you talking to me or my wife?"

 

I thought it was hilarious. The nurse didn't. I went to the waiting room.

 

The pregnancy went well. The only complication was pre-term labor which can happen to anyone who is pregnant. The hardest part (at least for me) was coming up with a name. After having been a youth minister for over 10 years some kids had ruined a few names for me. When we though we were going to adopt we had chosen the name Seth for a boy. Seth means chosen and it seemed like the ideal name for an adopted child. After a while we figured out it wasn't a good name for us. Just try and say, "Seth Sumrall" without sounding like you have a lisp. We knew it was going to be a boy and we finally chose the name Ethan (which has since became a very popular name for boys).

 

On February 28, 1992 Ethan was born without complications. Cathy was the 5th person ever to have had a heart transplant and gone on to have a child. She was the first post-transplant woman to carry a baby to term and give birth to a normal birth weight child.

 

The story of Ethan's birth made the national news. There were pictures of him in newspapers across the country. I am told his birth was announced on CNN and I know we appeared on the Good Morning  Houston television show and other local newscasts. An article and Ethan's picture even appeared in one of those sensational magazines that line the checkout stands at grocery stores. I received phone calls from people I did not know from various parts of the country, people who just wanted to talk and gain a little encouragement and hope in their own situation.

 

You can say it was just good medical science and I will certainly agree the doctors and nurses were wonderful. To me and my family there is only one explanation for Ethan. He is a miracle. He is all grown up now and a fine Christian young man. He has gone on mission trips to Peru and Honduras, worked at a ranch for handicapped people and led churches and college ministry in worship. He is a talented musician, singer, songwriter, a college student at the University of Arkansas, a member of the US Army Reserve and a daily reminder that God is still in the miracle business.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Matthew 16:1-4

 

• What did the Pharisees and Saducees ask Jesus for?
• What had Jesus just done at the end of Matthew 15? (Matthew 15:29-39)
• What does Jesus mean by the sign of Jonah? (How long was Jonah in the belly of the big fish and how long was Jesus in the tomb?)