I am beyond excited to announce that this Friday, May 12th, Justin will be graduating from Navarro College with his Associates Degree in Applied Science. He has done it! Praise Jesus!He has gone for two years, lived in the dorms, worked on weekends, holidays and summers, and completed the requirements to earn this diploma. We could not be more excited for him to experience this huge milestone in his life!
While it is extremely exciting, there is also a huge struggle going on for Justin. Two years ago, it was no doubt what he was supposed to do. The path was laid out and several things confirmed Justin was meant to go to Navarro in the John Deere Ag Mechanics program while working for Ag Power in Terrell. He loved it!
It's not the same now.
He has come across some things that he is having to wrestle with that are well... they just stink!
He doesn't know what to do next, and when we talked the other day about what would be the best thing he could ever image doing, he said "Going to the ARMY with Jordan and then be a firefighter like him and Daddy."
Everything up until now could be adapted for Justin to do with Jordan. He played baseball, football, basketball, snowboards, rides his bike, and everything else they could imagine to get into and boy the things they thought of to get into.
This is really the first thing where, with his cerebral palsy, there is just no way with the physical requirements for both jobs. I still believe that just any day God could miraculous heal him...and I do pray for that to happen...and he would be able to join Jordan and Jamie in these careers.
In the mean time, I watch him struggle.
It's not necessarily bad...but oh is it hard.
See, as much as I can't comprehend that there would be something better than Justin getting to join Jordan in the Army or Jordan and Jamie in the Fire Service, I believe with all my heart that God IS ABLE to do immeasurably more than all we can imagine or ask according to His power at work within us to God be the glory (Ephesians 3:20).
OH, it must be something really, really good!!
I loved how last week I got to sit down with Justin for an hour or so and explain as best as I could remember each and every miracle God has done in his life. I remember the NICU like it was yesterday and one particular situation where they brought in a sono machine to scan his head for bleeds. It was clear, but they didn't believe it so they brought in another machine. Machine after machine.... NINE machines later, the scans were still clear! God is BIG friends!!! Then the following week they wanted to rush him to Children's to do a heart surgery. We asked for a time to be able to pray so they gave us a day or so. Upon examination the following day, the hole in Justin's heart was closed! I could fill books, and I certainly will one of these days, of how God has used Justin to show us how BIG He is! But I realized in that moment, although I have told those stories hundreds of times, I'm not sure Justin has heard them specifically! I went over them one after one and as specifically as my memory would work as tears streamed down his cheeks.
I loved being able to tell him how God has brought him so so far, and no doubt, He is not going to just drop him off now as a 21 year old. He has something that we cannot even imagine that is perfect for him, and we can expectantly watch for what it is!
So, we come back to ask for prayers for Justin's next. We have always had the best prayer warriors from the time we found out we were pregnant with Justin & Jordan, through the tough diagnosis, and 28 surgeries later between the three boys. We are calling on you again to pray with us!
He has to make some important decisions over the next week or so and prayers for discerning exactly where God is leading would be appreciated.
What is really really cool (and God has used Justin to teach me yet another lesson) is that while this time is tough, Justin keeps going and doing things that blows my mind! He has been working hard every day, and most days, he makes it to Crossfit on top of it! Check out his newest accomplishment... wallballs!! Grateful for our Coach that never seems Justin's limitations verses his potential! Who knows? Maybe Justin & Jordan will compete at the Crossfit games together...wouldn't that be ridiculously amazing!!!
"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7
We will always be eternally grateful for the many, many people that have prayed all the boys!
Prayer changes things... they are living proof!!
