Messy Blessings: A Story of Hope

There was absolutely no possibility that God would allow Andy and Jennifer Parker's fifth child to be anything other than normal. They already had filled their quota on children with special needs. Their home was organized chaos---with the emphasis on the later word. Plus, Jennifer had prayed for this child in her womb to glorify God. In her mind, that meant the baby would be healthy. Andy even mentioned that the ONLY thing he couldn't handle was if the baby had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome which is a very rare and extremely fatal heart defect. His fear stemmed from taking care of these babies at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis during his residency as an anesthesiologist. Andy knew the horrific pain and suffering that both the children and parents experienced. Jennifer only vaguely remembered this conversation until their perfect child was diagnosed with that EXACT heart defect. In “Messy Blessings”, Jennifer shares her journal entries that chronicle Hope Naomi Parker's struggle to survive and her fight to live life. This fight includes an assault, a strangulation, a stroke that took every form of communication and a near drowning of sorts. Through this excruciating journey, Hope glorifies God through her weakness and suffering. From the very beginning, she shows everyone around her that she has true joy despite her circumstances and her pain. Hope challenges everyone to glorify God no matter how ugly the situation looks or how many issues they face. Glorifying God has less to do with perfection and more to do with allowing Him to work through the muck. (Jennifer Parker)