I believe God is who He says He is. I believe He is good. I believe He is in love. I believe He can be trusted.
I believe God does not operate through the economics of faith. I believe God works through our faith, and often transforms our faith, but does not reward — or punish — us based on the depth — or lack — of that faith. That would make God arbitrary, and me suspicious.
I believe faith is our reward. And faith in a God who is personal and involved and passionate about our well-being can only be rewarding.
I have faith in God. I have faith that He is exactly who He says He is, and that He acts and reacts out of perfect love.
But that? That is where the mountaintop drops back down into the valley.
I am wildly inconsistent and heart-breakingly fickle when it comes to faith in the other stuff, the Stuff that God wants desperately to be trusted with. Simply having faith with things more concrete like money, or health, or the well-being of my children? That in itself is a monumental challenge for me.
But not so much for this little family.
If you’ve spent something like eleven seconds around me, you’ll find out quickly that my children consume me. I feel helpless if I can’t fight off a stomach bug for them. I will yell at some stranger’s kid if I think he was bullying mine. I don’t want my babies to know that the world can be unfair and indifferent.
And it is like that for just about every parent.
So I cannot imagine what the Colemans are up against, as the term Fanconi Anemia bounces around their heads, invading their lives. It sounds like a benign enough pair of words, yet it is anything but. Their new baby boy Isaac is battling something heavier than nursing trouble, or disrupted sleep patterns, or croup. At just a couple of months old, he is facing an extremely rare genetic disorder that causes bone marrow failure.
This is something that shakes foundations, something I can honestly say I (almost definitely) wouldn’t make it out of, had it happened to one of mine. This is something that is expensive, both in the currency of money and faith.
I don’t know the Colemans personally, and they don’t know me from Eve. But I heard about their story through Knox McCoy and consequently wept a little. The Colemans’ journey is about to get even rougher. But their faith, their faith in the God we both know, the God who stitched their Isaac together in perfect accordance to His plan…is astounding.
So? Here’s what I want you to do:
- Read their story. (Grab the Kleenex. Baby Isaac is already a heartbreaker, in so many ways.)
- Click on Knox McCoy’s site. He is hosting a raffle to win a free pair of TOMS. All you have to do to be entered is donate $5 (per entry) to Isaac’s medical fund and then comment that you did so.
- Spread the word. Through Facebook, Twitter, or telegram.
- Pray; that their faith shall be their sight.
Meet the Buttrams 
I like to think that I live a faith-led life, that my faith is so strong that no obstacle could cause it to waiver. In reality, I’ve been fortunate enough to never experience real struggle. My faith’s not ever been tested. To read about the Colemans, I am in awe of that calm strength in the face of something so frightening. Their family is a lesson in hunkering down and trusting wholly that nothing happens without God’s say-so. Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Their story brought me to tears! And I freak out over runny noses. I’d be useless in their situation, completely useless.
What a lovely post, Jessica. I’m so amazed at the fantastic response to Knox’s call. Really, really awesome.
I share your fickle faith. A friend of mine at church just got word that cervical cancer that she has now had to be treated for twice has returned, only this time to her spleen, liver, & chest cavity. It’s so hard for me to have faith that she can actually recover from this, even though it’s what I desperately want to see happen.
Thank you for this reminder.
I know, Knox really threw down the gauntlet. It’s amazing to see the kind of collective faith and community from people who only know the Colemans through association, and association only through the Internet. It reminds me just how big and present God is.
Good stuff here. Thanks so much for the post!
Yep.
And thanks for introducing us to this inspirational little family.
I’ve been gone – disappeared into a little cave of family for five days – it was bliss. I was unplugged.
But I’m back and trying to catch up.
Although I’m afraid of what I will read, I feel called upon to follow up on this story.
So here’s a hug to you in advance and a thanks for the dose of perspective I am about to receive.
I can only imagine.