MY 107 SECONDS: HEATHER AND LELAND’S STORY

AS WITH THE PAST TWO ‘MY 107 SECONDS’ – THIS WEEK’S STORY WILL ALSO REMIND US HOW, WITH CHRIST – WE CAN DO ALL THINGS. THIS NOT ONLY INCLUDES ACCOMPLISHING CERTAIN SPIRITUAL GOALS… BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES ‘GETTING THROUGH SOME OF LIFE’S DARKER AND PAINFUL MOMENTS.’ THE FOLLOWING STORY REMINDS ME OF HOW I (ANY PROBABLY MANY OF YOU) WITNESSED THIS CALMNESS – THIS GRACE THAT ONLY GOD CAN PROVIDE… IN THE STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN FAMILY… LAST YEAR WHEN THEY LOST THEIR YOUNGEST DAUGHTER IN A TRAGIC FAMILY ACCIDENT. YET, DESPITE THIS DARKNESS – THIS INCREDIBLY INDESCRIBABLE PAIN FROM SUCH A LOSS… GOD SAW THEM THROUGH… AND HIS GLORY WAS AGAIN REVEALED WHEN, SOMEHOW, THE CHAPMAN FAMILY FOUND THE STRENGTH TO SHARE, NOT ONLY THEIR PAIN WITH US.. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY – THEIR FAITH AND HOPE IN JESUS CHRIST… GOD’S PROMISE OF COMFORT AND HOPE IS FOR ALL US – EVEN HERE, CLOSER TO HOME… AS YOU’LL SEE – IN THIS WEEK’S: MY 107 SECONDS …… FROM HEATHER:

God reconfigured our lives this year. We now see the world differently because of our baby girl Samantha. She came into this world with a chromosome disorder called Trisomy 18. We had know idea there was anything wrong until she was born. Nothing showed abnormal on the ultra sound. We had nothing to worry about until my last
check up and we found she had an abnormal heart beat. I was rushed to the ER. She was born at 41 weeks gestation, via c-section. She was our long awaited seventh child.

Little did we know God sent her to save us from ourselves. However, not just our lives where touched, but many others; doctors, nurse's, people we don't even know, but now know.

Long story short, she lived 30 days and left my arms on Feb. 21, 2009. I was holding her when she went to be with Jesus. She opened her eye(s) and looked at me then closed them and let out her last breath. I had prayed for this time and asked God to give me peace, joy, and I wanted to feel His presence. I had them all!!! It was beautiful and incredibly peaceful. If death has beauty, I saw it through Samantha.

God truly blessed us through this season through our personal family, church family, and friends. Gods love and mercy was poured out on us in great measure through all the support and prayers we received. I truly felt sustained through the prayers of HIS saints.

We thought we'd share the fun and blessings of her life and death with everyone, so we had an open casket memorial service. He body look so adorable. We put a small crown on her head, sun glasses on top of her head, a cute hair bow to match her sisters, a beautiful dress, little booties, a little bible, and a little sign written in crayon that read
"Na-na--na-na-na! I beat you to heaven!" The slide show that our church played to music was all about her life.

Her life flight to Duke University, her stay there, her trip back to Cape Fear Valley Hospital, her bath time, her siblings holding her, and her daddy and mommy holding her. She loved her daddy very much. He would sing to her and tell the nurses how she didn't like her diaper to be dirty and she fusses for it to be changed. She
would always look him right in the face as if she was saying: "I love you Daddy, very much...hold me more."

We miss her dearly, but blow kisses to her often. She was so sweet and had a loving personality. She smiled, sucked her thumb, and laughed in her sleep. Was was our baby and now she's with Jesus.

GOD HAS PROMISED THAT HE WILL NOT ALLOW US TO BE BURDENED WITH ANYTHING GREATER THAN WE CAN BEAR. FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST KNOW THIS – AND HAVE LITERALLY AWED THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW CHRIST, WITH THEIR STRENGTH AND COURAGE – WHILE ENCOUNTERING VERY DARK MOMENTS IN THEIR LIVES. REST ASSURED – ONLY CHRIST CAN PROVIDE THIS CALM IN A STORM… COURAGE UNDER FIRE… HOPE AND LIGHTNESS IN THE DARK… HEATHER’S STORY ALSO POINTS TO ANOTHER REASSURING SCRIPTURE FROM THE BIBLE… IN ROMANS 8, VERSES 38 AND 39 TELLS US: FOR I AM PERSUADED THAT NEITHER DEATH, NOR LIFE, NOR ANGELS, NOR PRINCIPALITIES, NOR POWERS, NOR THINGS PRESENT, NOR THINGS TO COME….. NOR HEIGHT, NOR DEPTH, NOR ANY OTHER CREATURE, SHALL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD.. WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS, OUR LORD.

WE THANK HEATHER FOR SHARING HER 107 SECONDS WITH US… AND HOPE YOU TUNE IN TO CHRISTIAN 107.3 AGAIN, NEXT FRIDAY – WHEN WE’LL HAVE ANOTHER INSPIRING – MY 107 SECONDS.