Megan Pollard

My reason for hope is knowing that our story is not yet finished and its ending is better than we could ever imagine; this is Good Big News!

‍

When I was 12 weeks pregnant with our eldest, Bishop Daniel, we were told that he had an abdominal anomaly requiring surgery early on in his life. At 16 weeks pregnant a brain anomaly was added to the list. Finally, when he was born, a facial anomaly concluded his diagnosis soup.

‍

At 5 days old Bishop had surgery to close his abdomen. At 2 months old he had brain surgery to resolve the potential risks that his brain anomaly could cause to his life.

‍

At each of these profound moments of my son’s life we were told to hope. By doctors, we were told to keep our hopes low. By friends and family we were told to be bold in our hopes. In the Gospel we found that we are safe to both be afraid to hope and to be courageous in hope. Bishop was born May 1, 2023. Over 2 years later, I am still caught in the tension of hope answered and hope still unmet. My son is now a 2 year-old boy who loves playing basketball, baseball, soccer, reading, coloring, singing, dancing, giving high-fives, saying “Nice to meet you” when shaking hands with a stranger, learning the names of new friends. The list is long. Bishop loves the life he’s been given. My son also has a visible difference that causes passerbys to stare, ask “What’s wrong with his eye?”, make shocked faces, do double-takes. This list is also long. Bishop experiences, and most likely will continue to experience, sorrow and struggle due to his differences.

‍

God is in the business of writing stories. Bishop’s story is still being written - it is one of joy and sorrow, of prayers answered and prayers pending, of hope already fulfilled and hope not yet realized. God is actively composing a story, and He has already released the ending - He wins, death is defeated, tears are no more. As we delight in Bishop’s life and grapple with the sorrows within it, we rejoice knowing that the joys are a taste of Heaven, and the sorrows will be answered for by Heaven itself.

‍

My reason for hope is knowing that God is the author of our stories, and He does not write cliff-hangers.