Faithful Friday - "Fear or Faith?"

I’m not sure how Friday can possibly be here already. But it is, and you won’t hear me complaining.

Friday is the day we’ve set aside to share Faithful Friday – something from our Christian walk. I knew after receiving this email from a homeschooling friend what I would share for today. And if you’d like to participate in Faithful Friday, just hop over to Joy’s blog here and leave her a comment letting her know so we can stop by for a visit!

Here’s the email I received:

Pam's Story

More than 24 years ago, Pam and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant. Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue. While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we'll name him Timothy and we'll make him a preacher. Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam's youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father's ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football. Pam's son is Tim Tebow. The University of Florida's star quarterback became the first sophomore in history to win college football's highest award, the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah. Tim's notoriety and the family's inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women's centers across the country. Pam Tebow believes that every little baby you save matters.

Did you guess it was going to be Tim Tebow?  :)

Now I’d like to share a little snippet from my own life. If you’ve read my blog for very long, you probably remember what I’m about to tell you from a previous post, but I’m going to repeat it here today to bring out a point for today’s Faithful Friday post.

While expecting Joy, I turned 35, which meant taking a test (given to all expectant moms 35 and over). That test came back that our baby very likely could have Down’s Syndrome. The doctor strongly urged us to have an amniocentesis to know for sure, to which I strongly objected. Knowing the risk of causing a miscarriage through the amniocentesis, there was no way I was going to do that. Besides, if my baby was born with Down’s Syndrome, then that’s what God gave me. Period. An amniocentesis wouldn't solve anything.  We were having the baby, Down's Syndrome or not Down's Syndrome.  We prayed about it and after a couple of weeks from that point, I had peace about it. And honestly, I never even gave it much more thought. As a matter of fact when she was born, it never even occurred to me to even ask that question.

And so it was that our Joy was born. And as you can see, she does not have Down’s Syndrome, but even if she had, she would have been God’s perfect creation.  And she would still be a blessing.

God doesn’t make mistakes. He can take even the most horrible situation or worst case scenario and make something beautiful of it. He can make something beautiful of that life. It saddens me to think about all the babies that never make it to this world because their mother aborted them, either because they listened to their own fears, to the advice of a doctor, a friend, a boyfriend, or sometimes even a parent.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.” Psalm 139:13 (NIV)

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)


As you can see from today’s story about Tim Tebow, God does have a plan. He knows what He’s doing. I wonder why it’s so hard to just trust God instead of listening to man? I guess it’s just one of those times when fear and faith collide and we all have to decide which one wins – fear or faith.

By the way, I haven’t read Tim Tebow’s book yet, but it’s definitely on my list! I can’t wait to read it. He is such an inspiration and a wonderful Christian witness.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a great weekend!

Be Blessed,
~ Tammy ~