Honoring the Preborn: Cerian’s Story

Sara Williams and her husband, Paul, have learned how to trust God by walking through the fires of suffering.

A routine 20-week pregnancy scan revealed a problem. Sarah’s baby had a lethal skeletal issue called thanatophoric dysplasia, a malformity of the skeletal structure where the bones don’t develop sufficiently to allow the proper development of the lungs. The baby was safe inside the womb but would die at birth or shortly thereafter.

Sarah remembers the shock of hearing that the best medical recommendation for her situation was to terminate the life of her baby. Her first instinct was to view this as solely a medical situation that demanded solely a medical response. Why go through the suffering of giving birth to a child that has no chance for survival?

She now considers that response a defense mechanism against her own fear and uncertainty.

Then an extraordinary thing happened to Sarah and Paul later that night, after their terrible diagnosis.

Sarah says:

“As we prayed together, God spoke to us. We had no idea until that night what people experienced when they say that. I can only describe it as a deep sense that God was sitting on that sofa with us in our despair. He was saying, ‘Here is a sick and dying child. Will you love her for me and take care of her until she dies?’ That changed everything for us because suddenly our circumstances weren’t so much about our capacity to deal with this terrible situation, but about God’s love for this tiny, vulnerable baby that the hospital didn’t even think of as a human being.”

It’s a hard truth: God doesn’t always rescue us from our grief and pain. But He does always meet us in it.

Sarah and Paul faced great opposition from colleagues, friends, and doctors. Yet, during labor, Sarah felt God’s presence as never before, and knew He had come to take their baby (named Cerian, Welsh for loved one) home.

I encourage you to tune in for the Sarah’s full story on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Honoring the Preborn: Cerian’s Story.” You can hear it on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, via Google Podcasts, or on our free phone app.

This program touches on a number of issues along the way that may feel tender for you. If so, I want you to know that Focus on the Family has a caring Christian team of counselors, and it would be their privilege to offer you a free consultation. Call us, leave your name and number, and they’ll get back with you just as soon as possible. The number during business hours is 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

Before I close, the final details of our pro-life event See Life 2020 are coming together. This program will feature powerful pro-life stories, compelling commentary from dynamic Christian leaders, soul-stirring music from award-winning artists, and will culminate with a 4D ultrasound of a baby – offering a window into the reality of life in the womb. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. MT on September 26 and will be streamed on Focus’ Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram channels, as well as at https://www.focusonthefamily.com/see-life/. Mark your calendars!

Sarah and Paul’s remarkable journey of trusting God’s profound love, particularly for the weak and vulnerable, is told by Sarah in the book Perfectly Human: Nine Months with Cerian. I’d like to offer you a copy for a gift of any amount. Visit our website for information. If you can’t afford it, we’ll still get you a copy.

Finally, one of the best things you can do to support life is to participate in our Option Ultrasound program. Become a special partner with us through our monthly “Friends of Focus on the Family” program. What’s amazing is that it only takes $60 to save a baby’s life by providing ultrasound machines and additional resources. Visit our website for more information.

Thank you for touching others with the love of Christ.

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