Having Faith and Trusting in God

I believe faith is one of the most important things we can have. Faith gives us the ability to trust in God, and it allows us to stay hopeful. However, as humans it is very easy for us lose our faith when we our going through rough times. When we are in difficulty we often forget that God is still there, that he is still guiding us, and that he is still loving us. Even when we are in despair it is so important that we do not lose faith. Today, I want to share with you the story of a very special four year old and his family, who have continually kept their faith in God stable. 
Let me introduce you to Caleb and his family. I know Caleb and his family because they are very close friends with my aunt. My aunt told me about Caleb when he was born, and his story has continued to inspire me since then. Caleb is the youngest of five children. He is the sweetest little four year old with the biggest smile. Caleb was born with a congenital heart defect called HLHS (hypoplastic left heart syndrome). Basically, this means that Caleb only has two chambers of his heart  that are functional whereas a human should have four functioning chambers. Caleb has spent most of his life in the hospital and has undergone many complicated surgeries. Sadly, all of his surgeries have failed. After his last failed surgery, Caleb's doctors decided that the only thing best for Caleb would be a heart transplant.  However, his new heart must come from a six to ten-year old donor and it must be within a five hundred mile radius of where he lives. He has been at the top of the transplant list, and his family has been anxiously waiting for Caleb's brand new heart. After many months of waiting, Caleb's family got the news that they had been praying and waiting for: Caleb's new heart was on the way! Caleb went into surgery yesterday morning at eleven. His new heart went in, they unclamped it, and it started beating! The surgeon is very pleased with how things have been going. He finished very, very early this morning, and Caleb is in recovery as of now. Caleb still has a little way to go, so he still needs our prayers. 
My main point in sharing Caleb's incredible story with you is to show how far faith goes. Caleb's family kept faith in this scary situation even when it was hard. I am sure there were times when they were mad, sad, and felt no hope, but above all that they had faith. His family believed so strongly that God had a plan for little Caleb, so they kept their faith and trust in Him. Caleb's mom said, "This has been so surreal and we are going through all the emotions. Currently exhaustion is topping it all though! Two nights of no sleep do that to ya! I have so much more I want to say, but right now I will go hold my sweet boy's hand and touch pink fingers for the first time ever, and say a prayer of thanks for so, so much." I had the sweet pleasure going with my aunt to take a meal to Caleb's sweet family at the hospital over the summer.  My aunt told me that we would not be able to see Caleb because it is very important that he stay in his room, so that he can stay very healthy. However, I did get to say hi to Caleb's sweet mom who has kept faith and stayed with Caleb through it all. She is so amazing and I am so happy that I got to meet her. However, the best part of this visit was when Caleb's nurse wheeled him out so that he could press the button to come in the door. It was the sweetest thing to hear his voice and see him finding such joy in the little things. It was so exciting because I didn't think that I would get to see him. I did not get to talk to him or get too close, but it was still such a sweet blessing. He is such an inspiration and so strong at a mere four years old. I know this is long, but Caleb's story is so deserving of a long post. I hope that his story inspires you to stay faithful as much as it has inspired me.

If you want to see Caleb's sweet smile, watch this video:

Have a sweet week and stay faithful! 

Much love, 
Gracie  

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