The Stories God Writes

By Stacy Fingar

“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me…”
-2 Timothy 4:17

My story is one that this world wouldn’t classify as having a happy ending. It’s a beautiful story, full of tears, love, miracles, strength, and God’s grace. A story that has grown me, challenged me, overwhelmed me, broken my heart, given me hope, and helped me see Jesus at work through it all.

This story is about a 1-pound, 14-ounce little girl who touched more lives in her 19 days of life than I have in 37 years. It’s a story of faith, trust, prayer, anxiety, and fear. It’s the kind of story God uses to illustrate how you don’t have to know everything in the Bible or have a large platform to speak from. He can use the smallest of things to make a far-reaching impact for His Kingdom and His glory.

I knew it even before I was pregnant with my third child: if God would bless me with another baby, He was going to teach me faith during that pregnancy. After a miscarriage in 2013, I’d been praying for God to give me another baby. The morning the strip turned positive, my heart leapt with joy. My prayers had been answered. Little did I know the extent of the lesson that was to come.

The Cost of Faith

Early in the pregnancy, we discovered a large blood clot surrounding the baby which could lead to a miscarriage or preterm labor. Over the next two months, I prayed for my sweet little one, never giving up hope for God to come through. When the clot had fully dissolved in my second trimester, I thought I was in the clear. But at 21 weeks, my water broke and my world came crashing down.

I was admitted into the hospital on complete bed rest, with the hopes of keeping me pregnant as long as possible. The ultimate goal was to deliver the baby at 34 weeks.

In the days and weeks that followed, my life was turned upside down. I went from giving daily hugs and goodnight kisses to my kids to spending a few minutes of FaceTime with them each night, only touching their precious faces on the weekend. My husband Chris was instantly thrown into the role of Mr. Mom, leading to phone calls about how to fix hair and what outfits to have the kids wear to school.

Camping out in a hospital bed meant missing my son’s 8th birthday and my 6-year-old’s first year of cheerleading. It meant, for the first time, I had to choose one child over the others. It meant endless discussions with doctors on all the risks involved and survival percentages. My heart broke as I missed my family at home; it ached for the little one growing inside of me. Sitting in a hospital room all alone, tears streaming down my cheeks, I prayed with total desperation. And the Lord stood by me, preserving my faith.

Strength to Fight On

On September 23, 2016, Isabella Faith was born during an emergency c-section. At only 25 weeks and 3 days’ gestation— 15 full weeks early—my little girl was taken immediately into the NICU, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. For the next 19 days, our family was caught in an emotional rollercoaster.

I tried to be a mom through the plastic of Isabella’s isolette and watched as the nurses cared for her. I longed to hold my baby, but her body was just too fragile. What could I do but pray for a miracle? God stood by me, intervening time after time.

Through Isabella’s life, hundreds of family members, friends, coworkers, doctors, and onlookers witnessed Jesus at work. People repeatedly told me how, because of her miraculous strength to fight on, they felt God drawing near and their own walk with Him grew all the stronger.

Isabella showed me daily what it meant to be swept away by God’s love. Her gentle spirit was like the peace of the Holy Spirit filling the room. Whenever her tiny hand grasped my finger, it was comfort from the Lord. Her fighting spirit kept my faith alive. Witnessing her precious life allowed me to experience Jesus’ grace and mercy more vividly than ever before.

October 12, 2016 was my last day on earth with Isabella. Jesus held me that night. His heart broke with mine. I know that as I held my lifeless little girl’s body, He was holding her in Heaven. He stayed by my side. When my strength failed, He fought for me. It was only because of Jesus that I picked myself up and let His healing begin. Every day since, He has supplied me with just enough faith to make it through. He continues to stand by me and strengthen me.

More to the Story

It’s been a year since Isabella was carried home by her Heavenly Father. Since then, I’ve started a ministry called Faith Thru Isabella Faith. God showed me immeasurable love and support through the life of my daughter, and it’s my mission to share that same mercy with other hurting families in the NICU and parents who have lost a baby. You can learn more at FaithThruIsabellaFaith.org.

As I crochet prayer blankets for their little ones and serve in the NICU, I pray that these families will know the Lord is standing by them and strengthening their faith to carry on. Isabella’s story isn’t over and neither is theirs. God still has more to say.

You and I might not have the same story, but I hope my story will remind you to allow God in to your own journey. I can’t promise your story will be without pain or tears. But I can say this: by drawing your hope from Jesus Christ and relying on His guidance, you can experience the overwhelming peace that only He can provide. It doesn’t matter what has happened in the past—even the past five minutes. The Lord will stand by you.

He will hold you, He will help you, and He will carry you through. Wherever you are, whatever your story looks like today, surrender to His grace and mercy and see the beautiful story He can write in your life.