December 26, 2012 Our Lives Changes Forever...

On that day we faced every parent’s worst nightmare—saying goodbye to our sweet baby boy. After weeks of complications, at 21 weeks and 2 days, our little boy was born too soon. Weighing only 15.4 ounces, Isaac Cooper stole our hearts and changed our lives forever.
 
Here is a blog post written by Jon the morning of the 26th.
 
In the bible God tells a story where laughter and human sacrifice are intertwined. The two don’t seem to belong in the same story but God tends to have a different view on what belongs together.
 
Abraham and his wife Sarah were old, over the hill, well past their prime and without child. God tells Sarah (indirectly) that she would have a child. Of course Sarah laughed because to human minds that was seemingly impossible. God said the baby shall be named Isaac meaning “he laughs” due to Sarah’s disbelief. Fast forward several pages in the story and Abraham is suddenly ascending a mountain top to sacrifice Isaac. The one who was essentially named laughter was now in a situation of no laughing matter. Yet God intervenes and Isaac is spared.
 
This has always been a difficult story for me to process, even more so once I became a father. Why would God give two people a child, against all odds, only to command them that he be sacrificed? None of it makes sense given the facts. Yet God was in the middle of telling a bigger story, one in which he would eventually sacrifice his own Son to save all creation. God wanted one thing from Abraham and Sarah, BELIEF. He wanted them to sell out, to commit everything they had to his story. He wanted to tell them how much he loved them.
 
Esther is 21 weeks pregnant with our third child and second son. Three weeks ago she began have preterm labor symptoms. As time has progressed it has become clear that although the baby is willing and healthy, he won’t survive.
 
Several weeks ago we began to realize the enormity of the situation. We started to understand the possibilities and outcomes that the future would hold. We had many questions but no answers. We sought understanding and counsel but we still left hoping and waiting.
 
Two weeks ago we had a doctor’s appointment to find out if our son was going to make it. Prior to the appointment I sent my wife a series of text messages telling her to have a name picked out in case something happened. After our exchange, I put down the phone and began working again. I immediately felt, heard or saw the name Isaac. It was rather odd as I knew no one named Isaac nor had my wife and I ever considered the name Isaac. I wasn't even trying to think of names, I was just going back to crunching numbers. I remembered seeing a image of myself yelling the nameIsaac. At that point I dismissed all the nonsense occurring in my head and got back to work.
 
Several hours later I met Esther for our appointment. We sat anxiously waiting in the lobby and I asked her if she thought of a name. She mentioned that she liked Cooper and was strongly considering it. I turned to her and said what about Isaac. I’ll never forget her response. She didn't address whether she liked the name. It didn't even seem as if her purpose was to decide on the name. She looked at me and said: “Isaac... like Abraham and Sarah’s son who God commanded to be sacrificed and then ultimately spared to tell a story about the coming days of Jesus.
 
Up until this point I had not made any connection between Isaac and the Bible, nor was I able to reconcile where the name had come from. As Esther completed her thought, I felt a supreme sense of clarity that God was naming this child Isaac, we didn't have a choice. His name would be Isaac Cooper and this story would become our rally cry. Although things looked bleak, we believed and hoped that God would spare Isaac and that he was telling a greater story.
 
It is now 6:02 AM and Esther is receiving her first blood transfusion due to the recent rapid blood loss. It doesn't appear as if Isaac is going to make it. He doesn't know any better. In fact he is as strong as ever, kicking constantly and pumping his little heart as if nothing is wrong. I wonder if this is how Abraham’s son Isaac felt going up the mountain to be sacrificed. I wonder if he was this unaware of what was about to happen to him.
 
In the midst of all the conversations with the Doctor about the need to induce labor to save Esther’s life, I was once again reminded of Isaac’s story. God, our Father, wants us to believe in him. He wants us to surrender. I don’t know how this story ends. I don’t know why I felt called to name him Isaac. Maybe God simply wanted to tell Esther and I that Isaac matters and that God loves him. I have experienced God’s love in ways I didn't know were possible. I know Isaacis loved and maybe that is all God wanted.
 
God may not solve every problem in your life. He may not give you the answers you want when you want them, but He has an amazing way of saying:
 
I Love You.
 
I Love You.
 
I Love You.
 
Maybe you are in a place of darkness. Maybe you are in need of hearing those words.
 
You are loved and may you feel God’s Love.
 
This is Isaac’s story as told by God.
 
Isaiah 9:6 …And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 
Posted 26th December 2012