Pray for Claire

It’s not unusual for people who are familiar with our story to contact me when they hear about families in crisis. And it’s not unusual for my heart to break all over again each time I enter another family’s tragic story. But as hard as it is, I don’t mind going back to that broken place, because every time I do, I enter God’s tangible presence. When His children suffer, He goes before them, hovers over them, watches their backs.

Grace is a mystery. It can’t be earned, imagined, or manufactured. It can only be received. It’s true no matter what the nature of the suffering may be. And when God pours His grace over you, logic and common sense take a backseat to faith. You may hate the circumstances you’re in, but you can’t deny that He is in the midst of them, providing daily bread, giving peace. You see Him in the compassion of His people, you see Him moment by moment in a million little mercies, and even while your heart is screaming to be anywhere but here, you see Him working all things together for good. And you know that you know He’s making all things beautiful. In His time.

Like I said, I hear a lot of people’s stories, and they all take a piece of my heart. But once in a while a story comes along that is so similar to ours, it grips and won’t let go. It transports me back to ICU, back to the unknowns and the fear. It reminds me what it was like to live in a world undone, where everything is put on hold, and the whole future is one big black question mark.

Claire’s story is like that. Claire is a precious little girl who nearly drowned several weeks ago. Like Jacob, she was without a pulse for 30 minutes. At first she was in ICU on paralyzing drugs and a respirator, also like Jacob. And now, like Jacob, she has been transferred to Baylor rehab. Her father, Tyler, is telling their story as it unfolds, and when I read his words I often feel like I could have written them myself fourteen years ago. His updates are honest, beautiful, heart-breaking, and inspiring. You can follow their journey here.

Please pray for this precious family. It’s easy for me to say that God will redeem their sorrow, and I believe with all my heart that He will. But they still have to walk through this valley to get there, and the path can get very dark sometimes.

I borrowed this picture of Claire and her mother, Tiffany, from their journal. Thank you for praying.